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P. Richard Bohr
Contact Information:
Office: Richarda N9
Phone: (320) 363-5918
Email: rbohr@csbsju.edu
Educational Information:
- Ph.D. - University of California, Davis
- M.A. - Harvard University
- M.Div. - Harvard University
- B.A. - University of California, Davis
Academic Interests:
I have devoted 25 years to researching China's monumental Taiping Rebellion (1851-64), the largest civil war in world history which was inspired by China's encounter with Christianity and the modern, industrializing West. I also pursue research and publication on the theoretical and practical aspects of East-West interaction.
Courses Taught:
- HIST 114: East Asia Before 1800
- HIST 115: East Asia Since 1800
- HIST 200: History Colloquium
- HIST 316: China in Revolution:1800-1949
- HIST 317: The People's Republic of China
- HIST 319: Modern Japan: 1868-Present
Story:
I grew up near San Francisco's Chinatown and wondered how the Chinese remained so distinctive in the midst of America's "Anglo" culture. What was it in their culture that kept them so inward-looking, so close to their own community and family values, to their spiritual roots? What enabled them to maintain such a strong sense of pride and self-sufficiency? These questions led me to become increasingly interested in the question of how Western and Chinese cultures communicate with each other.
In the effort to enhance America's relationship with a new Asia committed to economic development and political reform, I took a 15-year sabbatical from college teaching to serve as President and Executive Director of the non-profit Midwest China Center, as Deputy Commissioner of Trade and Economic Development/Executive Director of the Minnesota Trade Office, and as a Director of Padilla, Speer, Beardsley International (a firm specializing in global intercultural communications) before becoming Associate Professor of History at CSB/SJU in the Fall of 1994.