Covell F Meyskens

I am a historian of twentieth century China with particular interests in industrialization, revolution, and experiences and memories of war. In 2015, I received my PhD in History from the University of Chicago and then became an assistant professor in the department of National Security Affairs at the US Naval Postgraduate School. My first book is titled Mao’s Third Front: The Militarization of Cold War China. It examines how the Chinese Communist Party industrialized inland regions in order to protect socialist China from American and Soviet threats. I am currently working on two book projects. The first one – The Three Gorges Dam: Building a Hydraulic Engine for China – analyzes state-led efforts to transform China’s Three Gorges region into a hydraulic engine to power national development. I am also in the process of researching a third book project tentatively titled, The People’s Army: A Social and Cultural History of the Military in China, 1927- present. I additionally curate the websites Everyday Life in Mao's China (https://everydaylifeinmaoistchina.org/) and Mao's Third Front (https://maosthirdfront.com).