HighlightsInternationally recognized for bridging political science and visual methods, Callahan’s work has shaped debates on Chinese identity, nationalism, and global order; his research and teaching innovations have influenced policy, education, and public understanding, and his documentary films and outreach have brought academic insights to diverse audiences.
Focused research areas include Chinese visions of world order; visual and multisensory approaches to international relations; nationalism, identity, and soft power in China; the politics of walls and borders; affective and visual politics; comparative analysis of global orders; the role of art and film in political discourse.
- British Academy, Chinese Global Orders project, I am one of 20 scholars led by Leigh Jenco, approx. £1.5mn, 2023-25
- Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, Senior Visiting Scholar Fellowship for 'The Visual Politics of Identity: Nationalism, Democracy and Civic Education in Taiwan and the PRC', £5,250, 2021
- Taiwan Fellowship, to do archival work at National Taiwan University for 'The Visual Politics of Identity: Chinese Views of the World,' £8,000, 2020
- LSE Knowledge Exchange and Impact Fund, grant to make a documentary film 'Great Walls' to be screened at LSE Festival 2019 and in British secondary school classrooms, £15,654, 2018
- LSE alumnus, grant to support the activities of the South-South group in the International Relations Department (co-PI), £60,000, 2013
Showing up to 6 latest publications from the past 5 years.
- WA CallahanGeopolitics, 1-32, 2025
- WA CallahanThe Oxford Handbook of International Political Sociology, 254, 2025
- WA CallahanRoutledge Handbook on Global China, 52-66, 2024
- CHINA'S TRADITIONAL [2024]WA CallahanRoutledge Handbook on Global China, 52, 2024
- H LiaoInstitute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences …, 2024
- WA Callahan, K HANSENAssociation for Computing Machinery, 2024
William A. Callahan is Professor of Political Science at Singapore Management University. Before coming to SMU, Callahan was Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His research examines the interplay of theory, culture and politics in China and Asia, and visual global politics around the world. His most recent book, Sensible Politics: Visualizing International Relations (2020) won the Best Book Award from the International Studies Association’s International Political Sociology section. His other work includes China: The Pessoptimist nation (2010), and the documentary film The Nose Knows: Foreignness and Fortune in China (2024) that explores how Chinese understand identity, difference, and foreign affairs in terms of noses. This and other work can be seen at his Sensible Politics website.
Qualifications
- PhD (Political Science), University of Hawaii, 1992
- MA (Asian Studies), University of Hawaii, 1988
- BA (Honors, East Asian Studies), McGill University, 1986
Course(s) Taught in SMU
- Chinese Foreign Policy (UG)
- World Politics (UG)