Raising Awareness of Genocides
Advisor: Jason Meyer
This project seeks to investigate ongoing genocides, with a particular emphasis on the Uyghur genocide and how the Chinese government censors information about it. The objective is to comprehend the broader implications and to raise awareness among the general public. I will examine the key factors contributing to the international community's inaction regarding these genocides and discuss practical strategies to educate and mobilize public opinion to confront these atrocities. Furthermore, I will provide insights into the lived experiences of those affected by the Uyghur genocide and explore the reasons behind the lack of widespread discourse on this specific issue.
Project Blog
Week 0
Week 0:
Hello Readers!
Welcome to the first blog post of my Senior Project. My name is Max Hurst, and over the next several months, I’ll be doing deep research on the Chinese Government and how its media is censored —its fascinating history, national and global impacts, and its lasting political implications for our government today. Through my research, you’ll gain insights into how technology, geopolitics, and cultural pride have intertwined to form one of the most powerful nations in the world.
This project will reflect the following structured details:
– I’ll collaborate with mentors, including Professor Rory Truex—a Chinese politics associate professor and expert from Princeton University.
– I will examine primary and secondary sources, ranging from academic works to digital archives.
- I plan to interview Uyghur activists and others to gain a more detailed explanation of the current situation.
We live in a time of widespread technological communication, yet our media is arguably more censored now than ever, especially in China. I strive to understand why, through my research, finding a way forward for information to be accessible to all, not only for China but for the rest of the world.
Thank you for reading, and stay tuned!
Week 1
Week 1:
Dear Readers,
Today, I had my first check-in with my project advisor, Mr. Myer. We outlined my work for the next few weeks and planned our future meetings. I now know that my final project will be a presentation. I'm excited about the upcoming research and the knowledge I will gain as a result.
Thank you for reading, and stay tuned!
Week 2
Week 2:
Dear Readers,
This past week, I've really gotten started digging into my research. From online sources to the book I'm reading, Sparks: China's Underground Historians and their Battle for the Future, I'm learning a lot about ways the Chinese government censors information. I think it's interesting how a lot of information from the book is not very accessible online - it proves that you can't get all of your information from the internet. Doing all of this research into China's authoritarian regime also reveals to me that we are not immune here in the US. Many of the tactics China uses, such as banning books, are also currently employed here in the US under the current administration. It's a scary world we live in, and I will keep studying it.
Thank you for reading, and stay tuned!
Weeks 3-4
Weeks 3-4
For the past three weeks, I've been pretty busy visiting colleges, but I have still managed to get a lot of work done on my project. The book I started two weeks ago, Sparks, continues to grow my interest in the history of Chinese advocacy. It is so interesting, in fact, that I will reach out to the author in the upcoming weeks once I have finished the book to hopefully interview him on the complex subject matter of underground journalism and grassroots democracy in China. Speaking of interviews, I am now in the process of reaching out to the Princeton Professor Rory Truex - I hope he will be a valuable resource in the coming months as I strive to gain a complex understanding of media censorship, not just in China, but in our own country as well.
Through my research, I have also begun understanding the importance of diversifying sources. As my faculty advisor Mr. Myer has pointed out, not all info can come from a single side of a sensitive issue, rather both sides need to have their points thoroughly analyzed before a comprehensive conclusion can be made. Author Robert Evans once said: "There are three sides to every story: your side, my side, and the truth. And no one is lying. Memories shared serve each differently." As such, I've considered official statements from the US government, the CCP, anecdotes, and other outside sources when doing research for my project.
Something I've noticed throughout the research for this presentation, more than anything, is that history does indeed have patterns. Trends, whether in the past or present, will continue to pop up everywhere, and the same story will play out again and again. This is all the more reason to study history, not just for the sake of memorization but to prevent the same trends from repeating in the future.
Diving so deeply into one topic as dense as the Chinese history of media suppression has really given me an appreciation for thorough research, research that is so comprehensive that it helps to open so many new schools of thought.
That's all for this week, dear readers.
I'll keep you posted, and see you in the next update.
Week 5
Dear readers,
Not much to update this week. I've just been doing more research and reading the book Sparks. It continues to fascinate me with all of the underground knowledge of atrocities that the oppressive regime of the CCP has covered up.
Some stories that I am just now learning about in my research:
Famous Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, who went missing following sexual harassment accusations she made against a high-ranking member of the CCP.
The forced detainment and sterilization of the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang, which many countries consider to be a form of ethnic cleansing.
How Facebook had a role in covering up many of the atrocities committed by China, all for the purposes of shady business dealings.
I am also in the process of reaching out to the author of Sparks, and there is a high chance that I will interview him before the project is completed.
More updates will follow soon!
Week 6
Dear readers,
This week, I have more or less stopped my method of superficially researching many different topics. Instead, I have begun more specific, in-depth research on a few topics, primarily specific stories. These stories demonstrate how specific historical trends will impact China's future as a dictatorship.
An example of these stories and topics is the story of Zhang Suiqing, a survivor of Jiabiangou work camp, who has documented his horrific experiences under the oppressive CCP in a work camp designed to slowly starve and kill anti-communist philosophers, educators, and citizens. While Zhang Suiqing was a survivor of the horrific experience, when he (in the present day) erected a monument that honored the 57 who died in the camp when he was there, the CCP destroyed it, claiming that a cast a bad name on the history of the CCP - thus showing how far the CCP under XiJinPing's rule will go to censor and invalidate history.
As I research these in the book I'm reading, I remain appalled that not only are these stories not front and center in global media, but they are incredibly buried on the internet, and it took me quite a while to find online documentation. It shows how powerful censorship is, especially within a global superpower like China.
Week 7
Dear readers,
This week, it's been more of the same: more research, more reading, and more discovery. I've finished my research on China's past and started work on research on China's present state and the US's current state of media censorship. It's pretty depressing, to be honest, but I think it's important to learn about it regardless.
Here are the most interesting things I've learned this week:
Popular social media companies like Facebook and Google ACTIVELY censor the conflict Xinjiang and HongKong and basically anything CCP, by taking money from the CCP as bribes.
Companies based here in the US, such as Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Intel, and others, sell surveillance technology to China to help with their suppression of the Uyghur minority.
Stay aware, readers. Like I said, it's depressing at times, but of the utmost importance regardless.
Week 8
Dear Readers,
This week, I've moved from researching the present of the CCP's administration in China to its future, and all that it entails. New technological means like AI make it increasingly easy to erase large amounts of truthful information from the public's collective consciousness, not to mention fabricate incredibly false narratives and misinformation. I've also moved to recent history, events that happened in my lifetime just a few years ago, events like the COVID-19 outbreak and its effect on Wuhan, and the subsequent attempts of the CCP to silence any journalists talking about the CCP's poor treatment of patients in China.
I'm also almost finished with the book Sparks and will soon contact the author to schedule an interview. Through this interview, I hope to dive even deeper into media censorship and find out his opinions on current events here in the US and what they mean for our shared future of media censorship.
That's all for this week. Stay tuned for next week.
Week 9
Dear readers,
This week, I've finally finished my research. I've gone over the complete history, present, and future of China's Communist Party, and how our current government here in the US compares to it. Additionally, I have scheduled an interview with the author of the book Sparks (the source from which I have drawn the most material). I plan to ask him questions related to current events, for example, how the rise of AI will contribute to the spread of misinformation by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in China.
After the interview tomorrow, all that needs to be done is some polishing of the presentation, and then we should be ready for the presentation on the 10th.
See you there, readers!
Week 10
Dear Readers,
This is my last blog post. This week, I had my interview with author Ian Johnson, the author of Sparks. It was an amazing experience to talk to him, as he exposed me to many new perspectives that will definitely make it to my final presentation. This week, my final task is to organize all of the points I want to make in the presentation and to make it look more aesthetically pleasing (right now it's just a bunch of words on a blank background).
As the time until my presentation draws to an end, I'd like write down some of my reflections from the whole experience: researching, making the presentation, how this will carry into work I do in college, etc.
First off, making this presentation was a great experience for me in terms of really learning how to research. With the help of Mr. Meyer, I was able to really learn how to find reputable information online and differentiate credible information with misinformation by carefully checking sources.
As for the work I did, I think it will definitely help me in the work I do in college. As I attend college in the fall as an undeclared major, this project has definitely helped me narrow down what I believe what I want to study - doing all of this research definitely piqued my interest in Chinese history and dictatorships in general. I'm now looking into attending a program at Cornell in the fall called the Levinsons program, which will immerse me in contemporary Chinese politics.
That's all, readers. It's been a great journey for the past few months. I can't wait for all of you to see my hardworking revealed when I give the presentation.
Signing off,
Max Hurst