David John Brophy is an Australian historian of Modern Chinese history at the University of Sydney where he is senior lecturer.
He is noted for his work on the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and his contribution to the debate in Australia on the Sino-Australian relationship, for which he has received significant press coverage.
[7] Brophy has written variously for the Guardian Australia, The Monthly,[8] the Australian Book Review, The China Story, The Sydney Morning Herald and the Conversation.
[9] In 2021 Brophy co-signed a letter in support of Dr Joanne Smith Finley, an academic targeted by the Chinese Government in the United Kingdom.
During the first cold war, through both enticements and pressure, western universities were encouraged to align their work with the state’s diplomatic and military interests.