From Florence to China: The Book Tour Begins

My book The Power of Ideas and Discourse in Political Analysis (Oxford University Press) came out in April, with a first book launch in Florence at the European University Institute, where I am a Visiting Fellow at the Schuman Centre. I then spent much of May in China, presenting the book at Fudan University in Shanghai; the China University of Political Science and Law, Renmin University, and Peking University in Beijing; Jiaotong University in Xi'an; and Sichuan University in Chengdu. My husband got to be "Distinguished Guest Discussant" at a number of the talks, which was fun. I also co-organized a workshop on Global Governance and gave talks on "Political Challenges to Global Governance: US Geopolitical Disruption and National Populist Fragmentation."

The trip itself was exhilarating and exhausting — not only because of meeting so many impressive Chinese scholars and students, but also because of the amazing food at the many banquets, to say nothing of the sightseeing squeezed in between talks and meals: the Summer Palace and Great Wall in Beijing, the Terracotta Warriors and a classical dance concert at Huaqing Palace in Xi'an, and the giant pandas and 2,000-year-old irrigation system in Sichuan. All wonderful material for my other passion, soon to be posted on my photography website (www.vivienschmidt.com).