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Harold Robert Isaacs

ハロルド・ロバート・アイザックス

Harold Robert Isaacs

Pen Names: Lo Sen（Pen name used in some journalistic and China-related publications）, Yi Luosheng（Name/form used in Chinese-language contexts）, Harold Roberts（Alternate name used in some publications）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1910-09-13
Died
1986-07-09 age 75
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Religion
Judaism
Residence History
United States (New York, etc.) → China (Shanghai; visited/lived)

Career

Occupations
Journalist, Political scientist, Author, Editor
Active Years
1929-1986
Affiliations
The New York Times (briefly as a reporter), Newsweek (covered WWII in Southeast Asia and China), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Department of Political Science)
Influenced By
Agnes Smedley, Frank Glass (Trotskyist), Leon Trotsky (wrote the introduction to one of his books)

Education

Columbia University (Columbia College)
Degree: BA
Year of Graduation: 1929
Country: United States
Graduated from Columbia College, Columbia University (1929)

Awards

Guggenheim Fellowship
1950
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Tragedy of the Chinese Revolution

1938 History / Political analysis

An account and critique of the early phases (1925–27) of the Chinese Revolution, criticizing party leadership decisions around the Nationalist-Communist alliance and including a preface by Leon Trotsky.

Chinese revolutionParty vs. workersLeadership strategyCritique of leftist strategy

Scratches on Our Minds: American Images of China and India

1958 Cultural criticism / Analysis

A widely influential study analyzing American images of China and India through literature review and interviews, proposing four stages of US attitudes toward China.

Image formationUS-China relationsCultural perceptionCold War perspectives

Re-Encounters in China: Notes of a Journey in a Time Capsule

1985 Travelogue / Memoir

An account of his 1980 return visit to China with his wife, combining observations and reflections on changes in Chinese society since his earlier experiences.

ReminiscenceChanging ChinaHistory and memory

Bibliography

  • Five years of Kuomintang reaction (editor)
  • The Tragedy of the Chinese Revolution
  • New cycle in Asia: selected documents in major international development in the Far East, 1943–1947 (editor)
  • Two-thirds of the world
  • Africa: new crisis in the making
  • Scratches on Our Minds
  • Emergent Americans: a report on "Crossroads Africa"
  • The new world of Negro Americans
  • India's ex-Untouchables
  • American Jews in Israel
  • Straw sandals: Chinese short stories, 1918–1933 (editor)
  • Idols of the tribe: group identity and political change
  • Power and identity: tribalism in world politics
  • Re-Encounters in China: Notes of a Journey in a Time Capsule

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Analytical and critical styleJournalistic reportingEmpirically grounded historical approach
Recurring Motifs
Western perceptions of China and AsiaClass and party vs. massesGroup identity and political changeRace and ethnicity

Legacy

Harold R. Isaacs was a journalist and scholar who made significant contributions to China studies and the study of cultural perceptions. His book Scratches on Our Minds remains a widely cited analysis of American attitudes toward Asia. His experiences in pre-war China and later academic work influenced discussions on US–China relations and cultural diplomacy.

Quotes

  • American attitudes toward China moved through four stages: 'benevolence', 'admiration', 'disenchantment', and 'hostility'.
    Source: Scratches on Our Minds (1958)

Trivia

  • Used pen names Lo Sen, Yi Luosheng, and Harold Roberts.
  • His son Arnold R. Isaacs is also a journalist.