Mitchell Gallagher (hj0003)

Political Science

2002 Faculty/Administration Bldg.

"Life is like a flute. It may have many holes and emptiness, but if you work on it carefully, it can play magical melodies."

Born and raised in North Yorkshire, England, Mitchell has developed a diverse and accomplished profile. His proficiency in Mandarin stems from over six years of professional experience in China, where his contributions to education were honored with an honorary award from the Beijing College of Finance & Commerce. Prior to graduation, his commitment to supporting and developing first-year undergraduate students was recognized with a gold WoW certificate from Liverpool John Moores University. During his graduate studies at the University of Sheffield, he was distinguished with the Sheffield Graduate Award. Outside his academic pursuits, Mitchell harbors a keen interest in the works of George Orwell and Chinese calligraphy. An avid football fan, he still insists on the traditional British nomenclature, steadfastly referring to the sport as 'football' rather than 'soccer.'

His dissertation, "The Silent Sovereign: Taiwan in a One-China World" explores how Taiwan exercises a package of rights, powers, obligations and immunities despite limited formal recognition internationally.

• Soft power
• Propaganda and political cartoons
• Taiwanese studies
• Diplomatic recognition
• IR theory

Peer review contributions

• Journal of Contemporary European Studies
• Pacific Focus
• Comparative Political Studies
• Global Governance

Conference presentations

• Gallagher, M. & Rakshit, D. (2024) Evolving Hegemonies: China’s Rise and its Impact on Democratic Structure. Presentation at the Western Political Science Association, Vancouver, Canada

• Gallagher, M. (2024) Democracy in China. Presentation at the Western Political Science Association, Vancouver, Canada

• WoW Certificate, Liverpool John Moores University
• Sheffield Graduate Award
• Beijing College of Finance and Commerce, Honorary Award
• Thomas C. Rumble Fellow (2023-2024), Department of Political Science, Wayne State University

• China flexes its media muscle in Africa – encouraging positive headlines as part of a soft power agenda
• Farms to fame: How China’s rural influencers are redefining country life
• The Academic Minute
• Data privacy concerns linger as TikTok lies in limbo

Peer reviewed publications

• Gallagher, M. (2024). Polling to Vaccination Stations: Brexit’s influence on immunisation uptake. New Perspectives, 32(2), 162-180. doi.org/10.1177/2336825X241236753

• Gallagher, M. (2024). Tweet Wars: China's anti-US propaganda through political cartoons. Soft Power, 10(2), 81-109. softpowerjournal.com/tweet-wars-chinas-anti-us-propaganda-through-political-political-cartoons

• Gallagher, M. (2024). Democracy with Chinese Characteristics: Historical and Political Transformations. East Asian Policy, 16(2), 110-134. doi.org/10.1142/S1793930524000169

• Gallagher, M. (2024). Beyond Realpolitik: Norms and Identities in Taiwan-Paraguay Relations (Forthcoming).

• Five Eyes and the Digital Iron Curtain: A New Cold War of Intelligence (Forthcoming).

Other publications

• Gallagher, M. (2024). UK faces a critical juncture in its China relationship. East Asia Forum. doi.org/10.59425/eabc.1726696800

• Gallagher, M. (2024). Knowledge knows no boundaries: The UK-Taiwan frontier in academic innovation. Global Taiwan Institute. globaltaiwan.org/2024/09/uk-taiwan-frontier-in-academic-innovation

• Gallagher, M. (2024). Taiwan’s Indigenous diplomacy: The unwielded sword in the Pacific. Pacific Forum.pacforum.org/publications/pacnet-66-taiwans-indigenous-diplomacy-the-unwielded-sword-in-the-pacific

• Gallagher, M. (2024). Amid the China-U.S. competition, beware of data colonialism. The Diplomat. thediplomat.com/2024/10/amid-the-china-us-competition-beware-of-data-colonialism

• Gallagher, M. (2024). What the 2024 election means for UK-US defense cooperation. The Geopolitics. thegeopolitics.com/what-the-2024-election-means-for-uk-us-defense-cooperation

• Gallagher, M. (2024). Farms to fame: How China’s rural influencers are redefining country life. The Conversation. theconversation.com/farms-to-fame-how-chinas-rural-influencers-are-redefining-country-life-239540 (In Japanese, 農村インフルエンサーが活性化する中国の地方経済　政府・自治体も協力 - https://www.projectdesign.jp/articles/news/6bdda8af-f6b1-45ba-85df-b57a371295c6)  

• Gallagher, M. (2024). Taiwan’s fight for survival in Trump’s shadow. Foreign Policy in Focus. https://fpif.org/taiwans-fight-for-survival-in-trumps-shadow/

• Gallagher, M. (2024). Book Review - The Sentinel State: Surveillance and the Survival of Dictatorship in China, by Minxin Pei. Political Studies Review. DOI: 10.1177/14789299241297800 

• Gallagher, M. (2025). Book Review - On Xi Jinping: How Xi's Marxist Nationalism is Shaping China and the World by Kevin Rudd. Journal of Contemporary Asia. DOI: 10.1080/00472336.2024.2449528

• Gallagher, M. (2025) China Flexes its Media Muscle in Africa. The Conversation. theconversation.com/china-flexes-its-media-muscle-in-africa-encouraging-positive-headlines-as-part-of-a-soft-power-agenda-245804

• ORCID