Davidson Prof’s Book Featured on ‘Last Week Tonight With John Oliver’

Shelley Rigger, the Brown Professor of Political Science and an expert on Taiwanese politics, got a big surprise on Monday. 

A message from a friend in Boston informed Rigger that her most recent book, Why Taiwan Matters: Small Island, Global Powerhouse, was featured briefly on the Sunday night broadcast of the very popular—and wildly profane—HBO show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

The show, in its eighth season, has built a reputation for tackling serious subject matter in surprising depth—while weaving in Oliver’s over-the-top delivery and ribald humor. The most recent episode concluded with a 22-minute segment about Taiwan and its fractious relationship with China.

The segment is available on YouTube. (Content warning: Language. Crude Humor.)

“If John Oliver’s report is the only thing Americans learn about Taiwan, I’m okay with that,” Rigger said. “The report is excellent, and his conclusion—Taiwan belongs to its own people; they should decide their own future—works for me.”