Greenhalgh book praised by Science and Nature

UC Irvine anthropologist Susan Greenhalgh’s latest book, Just One Child: Science and Policy in Deng’s China, has received positive reviews from Nature and Science magazines. Described by the latter as “our most surefooted guide to China’s adventure in mass birth planning,” Greenhalgh explores how scientific policymaking by a team of aerospace engineers led directly to widespread social suffering as China developed into a technologically advanced state. “Through compelling storytelling and [penetrating] analysis,” reviewed Nature, “she draws together field and archival studies that cover the two decades from 1982 to 2007, spanning huge social, political, cultural and geographical distances.” Greenhalgh’s book was published in February.