Steven W. Mosher
Encyclopedia
Steven W. Mosher is a writer who publishes books and essays on matters dealing with China
. He speaks both Mandarin
and Cantonese. He is the president of the Population Research Institute
, located in the state of Virginia
(USA), a pro-life organization with connections to Human Life International
(both of which were started by Father Paul Marx
). He is the author of numerous non-fiction books such as "Broken Earth: The Rural Chinese" (1983), A Mother's Ordeal, and Hegemon.
In 1979 Mosher became the first American research student to conduct anthropological research in rural China after the Cultural Revolution. At the time he was married to a woman from Guangdong
province, and for several months between 1979 and 1980 lived in rural Guangdong. He also traveled to Guizhou
, a remote and rarely visited part of China. In 1981 Mosher was denied re-entry to China by the Chinese government, which considered he had broken its laws and acted unethically.
Mosher was expelled from Stanford University
's Ph.D program after publishing an article in Taiwan about his experiences in Guangdong. This expulsion occurred shortly before the publication of Broken Earth. The Chinese government was angry and embarrassed by the contents of the book, which revealed among other things that forced abortion
s were common in that part of China as a part of the one-child policy. Chinese commentators say that Stanford University was put in an awkward situation because Mosher went to places he was not allowed to go. He also released photographs of Chinese women having abortions with their faces exposed, a violation of personal privacy, according to standards of anthropological ethics. He was expelled from Stanford University due to "illegal and unethical conduct." The Mosher case became a cause célèbre
in the academic world, for it was said that Stanford acted under pressure from the Chinese government, which threatened to withhold permission for future Stanford researchers to visit China. However, Stanford said that its concern was that Mosher's informants had been put in jeopardy and that this was contrary to anthropological ethics.
According to Mosher's book, Journey to the Forbidden China, he had a travel permit signed by the proper authority (Section Chief Liu of the Canton Public Security Office) to go into the "forbidden area" of Kweichow (Guizhou) because it was en route to his destination of Szechwan (Sichuan
). Mosher gave a copy of the travel permit to the American Consulate before he met with the Chinese authorities to discuss the incident.
In the period after the Mosher controversy, it became much more difficult for American anthropologists to work in China; although Daniel M. Amos, then a doctoral student in anthropology at UCLA, successfully completed field research in Guangdong province between June 1980 and August 1981. Many other anthropologists from the United States were limited to three weeks' stay.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. He speaks both Mandarin
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
and Cantonese. He is the president of the Population Research Institute
Population Research Institute
The Population Research Institute is a non-profit organization based in Virginia. The PRI describes itself as "a non-profit research and educational organization dedicated to objectively presenting the truth about population-related issues." PRI argues against the notion that human overpopulation...
, located in the state of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
(USA), a pro-life organization with connections to Human Life International
Human Life International
Human Life International is an American-based Roman Catholic activist pro-life organization. Founded in 1981 by Father Paul Marx , HLI is located in Front Royal, Virginia. Human Life International describes itself as "the largest international pro-life organization in the world", noting that it has...
(both of which were started by Father Paul Marx
Paul Marx (priest)
Paul Benno Marx, OSB was Catholic priest and Benedictine monk, pro-life author and founder of Human Life Center at St. John's University , Human Life International and Population Research Institute ....
). He is the author of numerous non-fiction books such as "Broken Earth: The Rural Chinese" (1983), A Mother's Ordeal, and Hegemon.
In 1979 Mosher became the first American research student to conduct anthropological research in rural China after the Cultural Revolution. At the time he was married to a woman from Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
province, and for several months between 1979 and 1980 lived in rural Guangdong. He also traveled to Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...
, a remote and rarely visited part of China. In 1981 Mosher was denied re-entry to China by the Chinese government, which considered he had broken its laws and acted unethically.
Mosher was expelled from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
's Ph.D program after publishing an article in Taiwan about his experiences in Guangdong. This expulsion occurred shortly before the publication of Broken Earth. The Chinese government was angry and embarrassed by the contents of the book, which revealed among other things that forced abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
s were common in that part of China as a part of the one-child policy. Chinese commentators say that Stanford University was put in an awkward situation because Mosher went to places he was not allowed to go. He also released photographs of Chinese women having abortions with their faces exposed, a violation of personal privacy, according to standards of anthropological ethics. He was expelled from Stanford University due to "illegal and unethical conduct." The Mosher case became a cause célèbre
Cause célèbre
A is an issue or incident arousing widespread controversy, outside campaigning and heated public debate. The term is particularly used in connection with celebrated legal cases. It is a French phrase in common English use...
in the academic world, for it was said that Stanford acted under pressure from the Chinese government, which threatened to withhold permission for future Stanford researchers to visit China. However, Stanford said that its concern was that Mosher's informants had been put in jeopardy and that this was contrary to anthropological ethics.
According to Mosher's book, Journey to the Forbidden China, he had a travel permit signed by the proper authority (Section Chief Liu of the Canton Public Security Office) to go into the "forbidden area" of Kweichow (Guizhou) because it was en route to his destination of Szechwan (Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
). Mosher gave a copy of the travel permit to the American Consulate before he met with the Chinese authorities to discuss the incident.
In the period after the Mosher controversy, it became much more difficult for American anthropologists to work in China; although Daniel M. Amos, then a doctoral student in anthropology at UCLA, successfully completed field research in Guangdong province between June 1980 and August 1981. Many other anthropologists from the United States were limited to three weeks' stay.
External links
- Population Research Institute
- http://books.google.com/books?id=RnvrAw-jtFkC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_navlinks_s#v=onepage&q=&f=false/ Antonia Finnane, "Daughters, Sons, and Human Rights in China"
- http://articles.latimes.com/1985-10-06/books/bk-5779_1 Los Angeles Times book review, October 6, 1985
- http://books.google.com/books?id=RnvrAw-jtFkC&dq=stephen+mosher+stanford+.edu&source=gbs_navlinks_s "Informed Consent in Anthropologial Research", article in Ethics and the Profession of Anthropology, ed. Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban
- http://books.google.com/books?id=RnvrAw-jtFkC&dq=stephen+mosher+stanford+.edu&source=gbs_navlinks_s Frank Pieke, "Serendipity: Reflections on fieldwork in China", article in Anthropologists in a Wider World ed. Paul Dresch, Wendy James and David Parkin, publ. Berghahn Books, 2000.
- http://books.google.com/books?id=kZ8dqweCtl8C&pg=PA27&lpg=PA27&dq=stephen+mosher+stanford+china&source=bl&ots=e2u45TosP3&sig=Iex1qX3jHtXZT3AIed1g0Y1yI40&hl=en&ei=dNmySue6Gs-StgfTrZGqDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#v=onepage&q=stephen%20mosher%20stanford%20china&f=false Stevan Harrell, "A White Guy Discovers Anthropology," in Fieldwork Connections