Writing this book has been a protracted process, one that would not have been possible without the support of a great many people and institutions. I am first of all grateful to my Harvard classmates for their friendship and collegiality and for many hours of reading, discussing, and criticizing my graduate work leading up to my Ph.D. in History in 2007. The focus on gender in Red Silk emerged from discussions with my graduate classmates, who recognized before I did its centrality in my study of Chinese workers. I am equally grateful to my professors, who guided me through my first forays into Chinese archives and the process of researching and writing the dissertation upon which this book is based. I am especially indebted to the members of my dissertation committee—Elizabeth Perry, Andrew Gordon, and William Kirby—who read drafts and met with me many times despite their busy schedules. I would also like to thank other faculty at Harvard and elsewhere who encouraged and influenced my work, especially Sven Beckert, Terry Martin, John Womack, Michael McCormick, Peter Bol, Henrietta Harrison, Michael Puett, Rana Mitter, and Toby Lincoln. These scholars continue to inspire and encourage me.
In the lengthy process of revising the dissertation to produce the current manuscript I have been extremely fortunate to have had the tireless support and excellent suggestions of some of the leading scholars in the field of modern Chinese labor history. S. A. Smith read my first revision of the dissertation and offered insightful suggestions and unflinching support. I am deeply appreciative of the work of the two external reviewers for Harvard University Asia Center—Jacob Eyferth and Joshua Howard. Both of them devoted an impressive amount of time and effort to reading two revisions of the manuscript and
Research for this project began with a trip to the Yangzi Delta in 2002, and since that time, grants and funding from several institutions have made continued research possible. I am very grateful for the support and guidance I received from the Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Office of Financial Aid. The staff there greatly assisted my efforts to obtain funding through a Sheldon Traveling Fellowship in 2002, and History Department Research and Travel Grants in 2001, 2004, and 2005. I am also grateful to the U.S. Department of State for the award of an IIE Cultural Exchange Fulbright Fellowship for 2002–2004, which supported a two-year stay in China to conduct archival research. I would also like to express my appreciation to the American Historical Association, which awarded me a Schmitt Grant for research travel in 2005, and the California State University’s Wang Family Stipend, which supported summer research travel to China in 2008.
My current employer, Humboldt State University in California, has provided unwavering support for my scholarly work even through difficult financial times. HSU’s support has included a Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Grant in 2011 and Emeritus and Retired Faculty Association (ERFA) Grant Awards in 2010 and 2012, for which I am very grateful. I would also like to express my appreciation to the Association for Asian Studies for awarding me a China and Inner-Asia Council Small Grant in 2014. Finally, I am most appreciative of a generous grant from the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation in 2014, which allowed me to travel to Taiwan, the PRC, and Japan in 2015 to present my work at conferences, conduct additional research in Chinese archives, and complete the second round of revisions on this manuscript. It would not have been possible for me to access the sources I have used or refine this manuscript without the support of these institutions. I am forever grateful.
Finally, I thank my friends, family, students, and colleagues, who have encouraged and supported me over the years. I am especially grateful to my colleagues at Humboldt State University for granting me the sabbatical time to work on this and other projects, and for the many opportunities to present and discuss my work in a critical but supportive environment. My research assistant Meghan Ueland was also very helpful in completing the final revisions. I could not have produced such fine work without their support. Any remaining shortcomings are solely my own responsibility.
—Robert Cliver, Arcata, CA