Davidson Profâs Book Featured on âLast Week Tonight With John Oliverâ
October 26, 2021
- Author
- Jay Pfeifer

Taipei, Taiwan
Shelley Rigger, the Brown Professor of Political Science and an expert on Taiwanese politics, got a big surprise on Monday.
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 popularâand wildly profaneâHBO show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
The show, in its eighth season, has built a reputation for tackling serious subject matter in surprising depthâwhile weaving in Oliverâs 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.
. (Content warning: Language. Crude Humor.)
âIf John Oliverâs report is the only thing Americans learn about Taiwan, Iâm okay with that,â Rigger said. âThe report is excellent, and his conclusionâTaiwan belongs to its own people; they should decide their own futureâworks for me.â