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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 20h

The Flyers and Red Wings, preparing to face off in a battle of the titans. As my brother said, “Let’s not suck tonight.”

Photograph of Little Caesars Arena as the Red Wings and Flyers warm up before a game.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

This essay is a preview of As China Ages: The Politics of Demographic Decline in the Counter-Reform Era, forthcoming from Minzner and Oxford University Press later this year. global.oup.com/academic/pro...

Book cover of As China Ages:
The Politics of Demographic Decline in the Counter-Reform Era, by Carl Minzner

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I spent the past weekend working at #AASinAsia2026 in a building at Lahore University of Management Sciences that was constructed, in part, thanks to a $10 million donation from USAID back in 1994. Trump's decimation of that agency, and many others, has completely squandered American soft power.

Image of a plaque that thanks the United States Agency for International Development for its donation of 10 million USD toward the construction of the Lahore University of Management Sciences Academic Block building in April 1994.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Three whirlwind days later, #AASinAsia2026 has concluded! Many thanks to everyone in the LUMS community, which welcomed us with open arms, as well as the Lahore U.S. Consulate for hosting a very special dinner on Saturday evening.

A photo of a large red picture frame for social media shots that reads "Welcome to Pakistan," standing in front of a brick-and-ivy covered building.

Two women and three men perform a bhangra dance in front of a screen that reads "AAS-in-Asia 2026 Closing Ceremony."

A woman wearing a jade-green salwar kameez stands next to a man dressed in a suit and tie.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The #AASinAsia2026 conference lunch buffet is open for our feline attendees.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

The world's most adorable traffic signs are on the campus of Lahore University of Management Sciences. 🐈️

A road warning sign that reads "Drive Slowly - Watch for Cats"

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

What China Wants: And What It Means for the World, forthcoming from Oxford University Press in 2027. global.oup.com/academic/pro...

Cover image of WHAT CHINA WANTS: AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE WORLD, by Jessica Chen Weiss.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Now available *open access* from @uofmpress.bsky.social — CHINA'S DATE DEBATE: HOW MANCHURIAN SCHOLARS REWROTE WORLD WAR II, by @emilymatson.bsky.social. press.umich.edu/Books/C/Chin...

Cover image of CHINA'S DATE DEBATE: HOW MANCHURIAN SCHOLARS REWROTE WORLD WAR II, by Emily Matson.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

14 reasons I'm glad I moved to Michigan ten (?!?) years ago, plus a plethora of links about China, history, cleaning up Cape Cod, rewriting George Washington's story, Nancy Drew, protests in India, Esperanto, and more. mauracunningham.org/2026/08/02/w...

Large black coffee mug with a blue interior and gold Great Lakes map, filled with coffee on a desk, surrounded by a Harbin souvenir mug, a small toy “Library Stuff” truck, pens in a holder, and a visible “We Can Do It!” card.

View from a yellow kayak toward a towering, striated sandstone cave overhang streaked with moss, with clear turquoise water below and several kayakers paddling along the cliff base.

Smiling person wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses and earbuds takes a selfie in front of a blue sign reading "ISLAND PARK" with leafy trees and a lamp post overhead.

Mint chocolate chip ice cream with dark chocolate chunks piled in a waffle cone, held by a hand inside a shop with wooden walls and blurred red chairs in the background.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Visa for Pakistan just got approved ✅️ , so I'm all set for the #AASInAsia2026 conference at Lahore University of Management Sciences!

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Getting ready for next Monday's @literatibookstore.bsky.social book club with TAIWAN TRAVELOGUE—which also seems to be the book of the summer for East Asia scholars, based on how many I know who have read it recently.

On a cafe table, a cup of iced coffee sits next to a copy of TAIWAN TRAVELOGUE, by Yang Shuang-zi, with a pen and blue highlighter also visible.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

New @foreignaffairs.com review by @iandenisjohnson.bsky.social, discussing THE IDEA OF CHINA by Xu Guoqi, an "eminently readable" "urgent intervention in contemporary debates about China." bit.ly/4f3th8D

Cover image of THE IDEA OF CHINA: A CONTESTED HISTORY, by Xu Guoqi

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

How a historian kicks off the 4th of July weekend when it’s 90+ degrees outside. New book (holiday-appropriate, of course) and iced Americano.

A copy of WHEN THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE WAS NEWS by Emily Sneff sits on a wooden table with a cup of iced coffee next to it.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

This afternoon I took my father to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs game so we could celebrate Father’s Day by watching five anthropomorphic pork products race each other. (There was also baseball, which the Pigs lost. Badly.)

Baseball stadium on a sunny afternoon, stands filled with spectators.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Link to MAKE CHINA GREAT AGAIN at the Columbia UP website: cup.columbia.edu/book/make-ch...

Cover image of MAKE CHINA GREAT AGAIN by Rongbin Han

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

I'm very happy to have been invited to speak on this special panel at the American Political History Conference 2026 in Washington, DC two weeks from now—grad students, please join us! I promise that my remarks about alternative career paths will be optimistic and encouraging.

Screenshot of a conference program entry for a graduate student professionalization lunch on "Pursuing Diverse Career Paths in American Political History"

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Hi, TIAA, I have some feedback about my experience on your website.

A screenshot of the TIAA website with "How is your experience?" partially obscured by a button that reads "Feedback" lying on top of it at a 90-degree angle

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Got a hearty “Go Flyers” yell from a fellow racer in Dearborn, MI as I headed to the starting line. #GoFlyers

Selfie of a woman in sunglasses wearing a Philadelphia Flyers baseball cap.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

Cunningham sibling Easter get-together in Gritty’s Chaos Corner, because just watching the Flyers play isn’t chaotic enough. #PHIvsBOS

A photograph of Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers mascot, in the middle of a large crowd of fans

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

*VERY* spirited crowd, even for Philadelphia, at the Flyers-Red Wings rematch tonight. Equally chippy on the ice, especially after Detroit went up 1-0. #PHIvsDET

A hockey game is being played between the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Taking my lunch hour with the Phillies and @alexiscoe.bsky.social in the office today. #PHIvsWSH

A desk has a laptop open on it, showing a baseball game, next to a stand holding up YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST, by Alexis Coe. A desktop computer is visible in the background.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

My @asianstudies.org colleagues and I are assembling in Vancouver for #AAS2026! I look forward to seeing/meeting Bluesky connections at the conference—my desk will be in the convention center badge pick-up/registration area, so if you see me there please say hello!

View from above of an airport arrival hall, with two large totem poles standing at the entrance to the immigration queue.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

In the absence of NHL games, we are ready for the first Phillies spring training game today.

A stuffed Gritty plush wears a Philadelphia Phillies hat

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

Gritty can’t believe what he’s seeing. How is the game going *this* badly?!?

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Thanks so much to @josephtorigian.bsky.social for inviting me to moderate his book talk at Three Cats in Clawson, MI last weekend—as I told the audience, I was excited to see THE PARTY'S INTERESTS COME FIRST enter the world and am glad that others have appreciated the book as much as I did!

A woman and man stand in front of a theater marquee that reads "Today: Joseph Torigian"

A table features a stack of books, THE PARTY'S INTERESTS COME FIRST

A man and woman sit on bar stools at the front of a room, talking with each other in front of an audience.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Back in August, I took a week-long road trip from Ann Arbor to Philadelphia, stopping at National Parks along the way. Here's the first journal entry from that trip, featuring Ohio's Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial. mauracunningham.org/2026/01/02/r...

The tower of Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial on a sunny blue-sky day, with the flag of Canada visible in the foreground

A view of land and water looking down from a great height

A ferry sits at a dock, its exterior bathed in pink light from a rising sun.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

Extremely satisfying meal at Philadelphia's new Uyghur Noodle King (on Chestnut between 38th and 39th). The 大盘鸡 (big plate chicken) stood out as the favorite, but both cold noodle dishes were excellent, too. Give them a visit!

A bowl full of cold jelly noodle salad, covered in cilantro and chili oil

A dish of big plate chicken, with potatoes and noodles

Golden noodles with chunks of grilled lamb on top

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

One week from (checks calendar) *right now*, @josephtorigian.bsky.social and I will be at Three Cats Restaurant in Clawson, MI talking about THE PARTY'S INTERESTS COME FIRST. You, too, could be eating brunch (cornflake French toast!!) and learning about the life of Xi Zhongxun. Join us.

Promotional poster for a book event with Joseph Torigian in conversation with Maura Cunningham at Three Cats Restaurant in Clawson, MI on January 4, 2026 at 1:30pm.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

Samantha accompanied me to Easter dinner one year! We didn't have the official AG matching dresses, but my mom found something similar to her fancy tea dress for me.

A photo from the late 1980s/early 1990s of a red-headed girl clutching a Samantha American Girl doll, both of them wearing long white dresses; the other two people in the photo are her father in a suit and younger brother wearing dark pants and a dark jacket.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

I seem to be over-booked. In 2026. Already. 😬😅😵‍💫

Screenshot of a to-do list labeled "2026 Q1," indicating 14 items/63 subitems

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Folks in Southeast Michigan/Northwest Ohio: on January 4, I'll be at Three Cats Restaurant in Clawson to moderate a book talk by @josephtorigian.bsky.social on THE PARTY'S INTERESTS COME FIRST. Good food, drinks, and Xi Zhongxun—a perfect Sunday afternoon to end the holiday season.

Poster advertising a book event by Joseph Torigian, in conversation with Maura Cunningham

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

My Slack status: "Mashed potato mindset" for sure. Please don't give me any complex tasks.

A list of humorous Thanksgiving-themed status updates on Slack:
Mashed potato mindset
Gratitude is the attitude
Feasting on my backlog
Snowed under
Slow to respond. In a feast-induced haze.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

If you're in need of a book that succinctly and clearly explains China's gaokao to a non-specialist reader, THE HIGHEST EXAM: HOW THE GAOKAO SHAPES CHINA, by Ruixue Jia and Hongbin Li with Claire Cousineau, is the answer. My WSJ review: www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...

Cover of THE HIGHEST EXAM: HOW THE GAOKAO SHAPES CHINA, by Ruixue Jia and Hongbin Li, with Claire Cousineau

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

The Phillies didn’t score 19 runs tonight, but there’s still something extra-satisfying about a win over the Braves.

Scene of a baseball game between the Phillies and Braves at Citizens Bank Park.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 26/07/2025

Saturday book mail: thanks to @wwnorton.com for an advance copy of BREAKNECK: CHINA'S QUEST TO ENGINEER THE FUTURE, by Dan Wang. It immediately went into my vacation reading tote bag.

A copy of BREAKNECK: CHINA'S QUEST TO ENGINEER THE FUTURE, by Dan Wang, sits on a dark wooden desk.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Currently on my reading screen: REBUILDING NEW ORLEANS, coming in June from @uncpress.bsky.social. A great exploration by Sarah Fouts of food and labor, race, migration, discrimination, and local government in New Orleans. uncpress.org/book/9781469...

A social media graphic has a black-and-white picture of bookshelves in the background, with the cover image of REBUILDING NEW ORLEANS by Sarah Fouts in color in the foreground. Text: April 2, 2025 and #WhatImReadingWednesday.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

I didn’t make it up to campus for the Michigan China lunchtime lecture by @bennoweiner.bsky.social, but am luckily able to listen in via Zoom.

Photo of a computer screen showing a PowerPoint slide and inset of a man standing at a lectern.

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Maura Elizabeth Cunningham @mauracunningham.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

If you’re at #AAS2025 and need help, the @asianstudies.org staff is easy to spot! We’re all wearing snazzy matching jackets this year to make us easy to identify.

A woman with red hair and glasses wears a burgundy fleece jacket that reads “Association for Asian Studies”

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