Danke Li, Ph.D., of Scarsdale, New York, professor of history at Fairfield University, has won the 2014 Hong Kong Book Prize, the most prestigious book award of Hong Kong, for her latest work, "Women, War and Memory: 35 Chongqing Women's Experiences During China's War of Resistance Against Japan (The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press, 2013).

In 1937, Chongqing became the wartime capital of the Nationalist government and the political center of China. Women who lived there suddenly realized that the war had been changed from distant news to inescapable living conditions for them. Air-raid alarms resounding over the city, crowded shelters, soaring prices, street orphans, and the flood of refugees all became their everyday life and collective memories.

"Dr. Li's well-researched scholarly work is a fascinating glimpse inside the human toll of wartime," said James Simon, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "While it is focused on the war between China and Japan, its message is universal."

For her book, Dr. Li visited and interviewed more than 50 Chinese women who lived in Chongqing during the war. While recording their life stories, this book is focused on ordinary women's wartime experiences and what markers these experiences left on Chinese women and the nation.

"Conducting the research for the book was an eye-opening and humbling experience," said Dr. Li. "My hope is for the book to give greater public voice to ordinary women and recognition of the extraordinary impact they have on history."

Dr. Li received her B.A. in Chinese history from Sichuan University, the People's Republic of China, her master's degree in ancient Greek and Roman history from Michigan State University, and her Ph.D. in modern Chinese history from the University of Michigan. She joined the faculty at Fairfield University in 2000 as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to the rank of associate professor with tenure in 2005 and professor in 2013.

Posted On: 07-22-2014 03:07 PM

Volume: 47 Number: 4