The China Quarterly is changing its editorial mode of operation. While both the Executive Committee and the Editorial Board will continue to play crucial editorial roles, the role of chief editor will be shared equally by three academics commencing on 1 September 2023.
It is therefore my great pleasure to welcome Professor Jieyu Liu and Dr Timothy Hildebrandt to join me as co-editors. I will continue to serve as a co-editor for the remainder of my current term and this editorial model will continue after my departure.
Jieyu Liu is professor of sociology at SOAS University of London. Jieyu's early work focused upon the interplay between gender, sexuality and work. More recently her research has expanded into the field of family, migration, ageing and care. Timothy Hildebrandt is associate professor of social policy and development at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). A political scientist by training, Timothy's research is both multidisciplinary and mixed-method; his primary areas of expertise include state–society relations, civil society development, and political behaviour. Both Jieyu and Tim are serving members of The China Quarterly Executive Committee.
The factors driving this decision reflect changes in global academic publishing and in the field of China studies. First, submissions to the journal have risen steadily and significantly over the past few years and doubled since 2010. A 2020 peak was probably driven by the pandemic, but the trend is clear and we expect submissions to remain high and possibly increase further over the coming years. Second, our field is not only flourishing in the quantity of research produced, but also in the rich variety of disciplinary backgrounds and diverse approaches taken by those researching China. While The China Quarterly is a journal that focuses on the social sciences, the range of manuscripts submitted remains broad and inclusive and this should be reflected – as far as is feasible – in the editorial and disciplinary expertise of its editors. Third, the opportunities and challenges facing area studies journals in general and China studies journals in particular continue to multiply. The change in our editorial model will facilitate collegial policy responses driven by collective discussions with members of The China Quarterly's boards and implemented via the co-editors.
