Bruce Gilley (born July 21,1966) is a Canadian-American professor of political science and director of the PhD program in Public Affairs and Policy at the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University. He is the founder and president of the Oregon Association of Scholars,[2][3] member of the Heterodox Academy and founding signatory of the Oregon Academic Faculty Pledge on Freedom.[4] Gilley gained international acclaim but also a storm of criticism for his highly controversial peer-reviewed article "The Case for Colonialism," published in an advance online edition of the scientific journalThird World Quarterly in 2017. Fifteen members of the journal's board resigned over Gilley's article.
Gilley's research centers on comparative and international politics and public policy. His work covers issues as diverse as democracy,climate change,political legitimacy,and international conflict. He is a specialist on the politics of China and Asia.[3] His 2006 article "The meaning and measure of state legitimacy:results for 72 countries" introduced a novel multidimensional,quantitative measure of the qualitative concept of political legitimacy.[7][8][9] His work has since been extended by other scholars,and customized to specific geographical regions such as Latin America[8] and Europe.[9] Gilley himself has since updated his work on quantification of legitimacy with additional empirical data.[9][10]
"The Case for Colonialism"
Gilley's article "The Case for Colonialism" was published in an advance online version of the Third World Quarterly in 2017.[11] According to Gilley,colonialism was both objectively beneficial and subjectively legitimate. Consequently,the author calls for a revival of colonialism.[12] The article was controversial both for its argument and for its subsequent withdrawal,and resulted in a debate about academic standards and peer review. Fifteen members of the journal's board resigned over the publishing of the paper.[13][14][15][16][11][17] Critics described the article as low-quality and said that it was published,over the objections of reviewers,and as a form of academic clickbait.
Board member Noam Chomsky argued that it is "pretty clear that proper procedures were not followed in publishing the article,but I think retraction is a mistake –and also opens very dangerous doors... Rebuttal offers a great opportunity for education,not only in this case."[citation needed][11][13][failed verification]
Gilley in 2017 "asked" the journal to withdraw his paper,while saying,"I regret the pain and anger that it has caused for many people".[13]
The article was re-published in the journal of conservative 501(c)(3) advocacy organization National Association of Scholars in April 2018. NAS' own editor wrote that "serious threats of violence against the editor led the journal to withdraw the article" and that Chomsky had "rallied to his [Gilley's] defense".[18]
When asked if it would be ethical to publish a paper making a case for genocide,Gilley said,"I think everyone would agree,[genocide] is a moral wrong" but that he did not believe colonialism was a moral wrong.[19][20]
In the spring of 2022,Gilley responded to many of his critics in a second article entitled "The Case for Colonialism:A Response to My Critics".[21] In 2023,he followed this with a full-length book,The Case for Colonialism.
The Last Imperialist
Gilley's biography of Sir Alan Burns,entitled The Last Imperialist:Sir Alan Burns's Epic Defense of the British Empire,was withdrawn from publishing by Rowman &Littlefield after J. Moufawad-Paul started a petition,which gained more than 1,000 signatories,saying the author espoused a "pro-colonial" and "white nationalist"[additional citation(s) needed] perspective.[22] Gilley defended the book by saying it had passed a peer-review procedure and was endorsed by historians Tirthankar Roy and Jeremy Black;Roy confirmed that it had been peer-reviewed and that he had endorsed it and stated that "[t]hat it could be an apology for empires ... never crossed my mind,I do not think this book is one".[22] The book was published by conservative publishing house Regnery Gateway in September 2021.[23]
Political views
Gilley describes himself as a "classical liberal" and "an independent voter".[1] In 2017,Gilley withdrew from the American Political Science Association,stating that he considered it to lack intellectual diversity and to possess an anti-conservative bias.[24] As a member of the Heterodox Academy,he has been critical of tenure evaluations which require a pledge to uphold collegiate diversity.[25] Gilley has been critical of educational initiatives designed to enhance diversity,equity,and inclusion.[26][27]
Hong Kong independence
Gilley's views about colonialism were strongly influenced by his years as a journalist when he worked in Hong Kong. During his stay,the British transferred their Colony of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China (PRC) on 1 July 1997. The tremendous fear among the population of Hong Kong prior to the transfer of power to China in 1997 made a big impression on him.[1]
2024 Malaysian remarks
On 23 April 2024,Gilley attracted controversy for remarks during a lecture at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur stating that Malaysia "could never be a trusted friend of the West" because its leaders were supporting a "second Holocaust against the Jewish people." His remarks referred to the Malaysian government's support for Hamas and the Palestinians during the Gaza war. Gilley's remarks and prior social media posts attracted criticism in Malaysia,with Malaysian Prime MinisterAnwar Ibrahim deriding Gilley as a "mediocre scholar." After leaving Malaysia,Gilley accused the Malaysian government of stirring up an "Islamo-fascist mob" and claimed that Malaysia was an unsafe destination. This prompted the United States Embassy to issue a statement that Malaysia remained a "Level 1" or "safe" destination. Gilley also refused to allow Universiti Malaya to reimburse his travel costs,instead soliciting funds through an online fundraiser.[28][29]
In Defense of German Colonialism: And How Its Critics Empowered Nazis, Communists, and the Enemies of the West. Regnery Gateway, 2022. ISBN978-1684512379[37]
Political Change in China: Comparisons With Taiwan. Lynne Rienner, Boulder, 2008. (With Larry Diamond)
Asia's Giants: Comparing China and India. Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2005. (With Edward Friedman)
Articles
"Against the Concept of Ethnic Conflict", Third World Quarterly. 25 (6): 1155–1166. doi:10.1080/0143659042000256959. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018.
↑ 1. College of Urban and Public Affairs Dean's Award for Scholarly Achievement – Senior Faculty (2016); 2. Frank Cass Prize, Best Article in Democratization (2010); 3. Best Dissertation in Comparative Politics (2007), Department of Politics, Princeton University; 4. Nominated for the Gabriel A. Almond Best Dissertation Award, American Political Science Association (2006, 2012); 5. Marcel Cadieux Award, Best Article on Foreign Policy, Canadian Institute of International Affairs; 6. Woodrow Wilson Scholars Fellowship, Princeton University (2004–06); 7. Princeton University, East Asian Studies Prize (2002); and 8. Commonwealth Scholarship, University of Oxford (1989–1991)[38]
1 2 Power, Timothy J.; Cyr, Jennifer M. (June 2009). "Mapping political legitimacy in Latin America". International Social Science Journal. 60 (196): 253–272. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2451.2010.01718.x.
Tony Saich (November–December 2001), China Perspectives 38: 77–78, JSTOR24050995; translated into French by Mathilde Lelièvre (September–October 2001), Perspectives Chinoises 67: 83–85, JSTOR24071347
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