Conor Pyle | 2025 I.S. Symposium

Name: Conor Pyle
Title: Contextualizing Collaboration: Challenging Chen Gongbo’s Traitorous Image
Majors: Global Media & Digital Studies; East Asian Studies
Advisors: Ahmet Atay; James Bonk

Chen Gongbo was a Chinese politician from the 1920’s through the 1940’s widely known for being a traitor. Over the course of his career, Chen Gongbo participated in multiple major political parties, including a Japanese collaborationist government he became the de facto president of shortly before Japan’s surrender, for which he was executed. This thesis aims to challenge his villainous reputation by analyzing his life, career, and the historical context that surrounded it to build an understanding of how Chen Gongbo went from being viewed as a generally respected politician to one of the greatest traitors in modern Chinese history. Written and produced by his great grandson, this thesis paper and short documentary fulfills a long-time family goal of organizing Chen Gongbo’s documents into a single piece.

Posted in Symposium 2025 on May 1, 2025.