Dr Christopher Courtney's Outputs (9)

The Ecological Consequences of Developmentalist Modernism (2024)
Journal Article
Courtney, C. (2025). The Ecological Consequences of Developmentalist Modernism. Modern China, 51(1), 15-20. https://doi.org/10.1177/00977004241280931

This commentary argues that Stevan Harrell’s An Ecological History of Modern China offers valuable insights into the transformation of ecosystems, which reflect the lived experiences of Chinese people. It examines some of the more contentious claims... Read More about The Ecological Consequences of Developmentalist Modernism.

The birth of cool: Heat and air-conditioning in the history of Wuhan, 1950–2020 (2023)
Journal Article
Courtney, C. (online). The birth of cool: Heat and air-conditioning in the history of Wuhan, 1950–2020. Urban Studies, https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980231153512

This article examines the impact of air-conditioning on the history of Wuhan, a Chinese city famed for the oppressive heat of its summers. It draws upon oral history testimony, ethnographic research, and written sources, to argue that air-conditionin... Read More about The birth of cool: Heat and air-conditioning in the history of Wuhan, 1950–2020.

Disasters Fast and Slow: The Temporality of Hazards in Environmental History (2018)
Journal Article
Williamson, F., & Courtney, C. (2018). Disasters Fast and Slow: The Temporality of Hazards in Environmental History. International review of environmental history, 4(2), 5-11. https://doi.org/10.22459/ireh.04.02.2018.02

At War with Water: The Maoist state and the 1954 Yangzi floods (2018)
Journal Article
Courtney, C. (2018). At War with Water: The Maoist state and the 1954 Yangzi floods. Modern Asian Studies, 52(06), 1807-1836. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0026749x16001049

This article offers a critical reappraisal of the Maoist state's response to the 1954 Yangzi floods. It uses a variety of sources, including previously classified government reports and oral history testimony, to challenge the official narrative. It... Read More about At War with Water: The Maoist state and the 1954 Yangzi floods.

The Nature of Disaster in China: The 1931 Yangzi River Flood (2018)
Book
Courtney, C. (2019). The Nature of Disaster in China: The 1931 Yangzi River Flood. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108278362

The Tinderbox City: The Industrialisation of Fire Disasters in Hankou, China, 1849–1944 (2018)
Journal Article
Courtney, C. (2018). The Tinderbox City: The Industrialisation of Fire Disasters in Hankou, China, 1849–1944. International review of environmental history, 4(2), 69-91. https://doi.org/10.22459/ireh.04.02.2018.06

Governing Disasters: A Comparative Analysis of the 1931, 1954 and 1998 Middle-Yangzi Floods in Hubei (2016)
Book Chapter
Courtney, C. (2016). Governing Disasters: A Comparative Analysis of the 1931, 1954 and 1998 Middle-Yangzi Floods in Hubei. In Governance, Domestic Change, and Social Policy in China. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-02285-1_4

The Dragon King and the 1931 Wuhan Flood: Religious Rumors and Environmental Disasters in Republican China (2015)
Journal Article
Courtney, C. (2015). The Dragon King and the 1931 Wuhan Flood: Religious Rumors and Environmental Disasters in Republican China. Twentieth-century China, 40(2), https://doi.org/10.1179/1521538515z.00000000059

Review of 'The Rise of Political Intellectuals in Modern China: May Fourth Societies and the Roots of Mass-Party Politics'
Journal Article
Courtney, C. (online). Review of 'The Rise of Political Intellectuals in Modern China: May Fourth Societies and the Roots of Mass-Party Politics'. Reviews in History, https://doi.org/10.14296/rih/2014/1909