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Sophie Volpp is a Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses on Chinese literature from the 16th to 19th centuries, with particular emphasis on theatricality, material culture, and literary objects. She is the author of *Worldly Stage: Theatricality in Seventeenth-Century China* (2011) and *The Substance of Fiction: Literary Objects in China, 1550-1775* (2022). Her current projects include a book on the National Peiping Library’s preservation efforts during the Sino-Japanese War and an analysis of referents in *The Story of the Stone*. Her scholarly work bridges literary analysis and cultural history, examining themes such as gender, power, and spectacle in late-imperial China. She has translated works by pre-modern women poets and dramatists, contributing to gender-centric scholarship in East Asian studies. Her publications span journal articles and edited volumes, addressing topics like Qing-era theatrical design, material circulation in classical novels, and cross-cultural influences in literary production. Her research has been published in venues such as *Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies* and *Journal of Asian Studies*.

• Chinese Literature
• Early Modern Chinese Literature
• Comparative Literature
• +3 more

Wen-hsin Yeh is a Professor and Richard H. and Laurie C. Morrison Chair Professor of History at the University of California, Berkeley. A Distinguished Professor, her work focuses on East Asia with specialization in late imperial and modern China, Taiwan, and Maritime East Asia. BA, National Taiwan University PhD, University of California, Berkeley Her research explores the interplay of culture, politics, and economics in China’s historical development. Key areas include ideological movements, urban transformation, and regional dynamics during the late Qing and Republican eras. Yeh’s publications span theoretical and empirical analyses of modern Chinese history. The 2008 monograph Shanghai Splendor investigates economic sentiments and urban modernity, while Provincial Passages (1996) examines cultural geography and early communist movements. Her 1994 China Quarterly article on Zhejiang radicals highlights regional intellectual networks during the May Fourth Movement. Earlier work like The Alienated Academy (1990) dissects academic culture under Republican governance.

• East Asia
• Late Imperial China
• Modern China
• +2 more

Kenneth Pomeranz is the University Professor of Modern Chinese History at the University of Chicago in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations (EALC). Previously taught at the University of California, Irvine , his research spans late Imperial and twentieth-century China , comparative world history , and global economic systems . Research Focus: Reciprocal influences between state, society, and economy; origins of the world economy through mutual regional influences; comparative studies of labor, family organization, and economic history. Current Projects: A history of Chinese political economy from the seventeenth century to the present; a book titled Why Is China So Big? exploring China's political unity despite its vast size. Scientific Awards and Fellowships: John K. Fairbank Prize (twice) World History Association Book Prize (shared) Guggenheim Fellowship American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellow Publications: Key works include The Great Divergence , The Making of a Hinterland , and The World that Trade Created . His articles address topics such as labor-intensive industrialization, global environmental history, and Qing state-building.

• Modern Chinese History
• Comparative and World History
• Social History
• +6 more

Susan L. Burns is a Professor at the University of Chicago, where she holds appointments in the Department of History, Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, and The College. She currently serves as Department Chair and Chair of the Undergraduate Studies Committee. Education: PhD, University of Chicago (1994) Her research focuses on Japan’s nineteenth-century social history, emphasizing intellectual and cultural practices, the intersection of medicine and public health, gender analysis, and legal discourses. She explores continuities between Japan’s early modern and modern eras, particularly how medical and legal frameworks shaped national identity. Recent publications span leprosy’s impact on citizenship, the rise of medical marketplaces, and gendered dimensions of reproductive health. Her digital humanities work on Mapping Medical Tokyo integrates GIS and text mining for historical analysis. Scientific Awards: Fulbright-Hays Fellowship IIE Fulbright Japan Foundation Japan Society for the Promotion of Science National Endowment for the Humanities She has secured grants for research on medical commodities, psychiatric practices, and the spatial dimensions of Meiji-era health policies. Her courses include Gender and Japanese History and Medicine and Culture in East Asia .

• Japanese history
• Tokugawa period
• Meiji period
• +6 more

Christopher Atwood is a Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts & Sciences. He specializes in Mongolian and Late Imperial/Early Modern Chinese History. Before joining Penn, he spent two decades at Indiana University, serving as department chair and interim director of the Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region. His research emphasizes meticulous historical analysis, inspired by the belief that 'the art of research is the ability to look at the details and see the passion.' Education: Ph.D. in Central Eurasian Studies, Indiana University-Bloomington (1994) A.B. in History, Harvard University (1986) Research Interests: Atwood’s work focuses on Mongolian cultural and political history, alongside the intersection of imperial expansion and environmental factors in Late Imperial China. His methodologies prioritize uncovering hidden connections between historical events and societal structures, often drawing parallels between Eastern and Western historical frameworks. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in Inner Mongolia, including studies at Höhhot’s Inner Mongolia Normal University. Grants & Advising: While specific grants or advising details are not mentioned in available texts, his long tenure at Indiana University and current role at Penn suggest significant contributions to academic mentorship and institutional leadership. His interdisciplinary approach bridges historical analysis with anthropological and sociological perspectives.

• Mongolian History
• Late Imperial Chinese History
• Early Modern Chinese History
• +1 more

Mei Mei Rado is an Assistant Professor at Bard Graduate Center, specializing in textile and dress history with a focus on China and France (18th–20th centuries). Her work connects global networks to local cultural systems through material analysis and cross-cultural interpretation. Education: PhD, Bard Graduate Center MA, University of Chicago BA, Nanjing University Research Interests: She explores intercultural textile exchanges, particularly European-Chinese interactions, rococo style diffusion, and Qing court arts. Her forthcoming book The Empire’s New Cloth (Yale, 2025) examines European textiles in Qing imperial contexts. Publications: Recent works include analyses of 18th-century French drapery, Qing cosmopolitanism through Japanese screens, and lamé textiles in modern fashion. Her research spans material culture, cross-cultural aesthetics, and historical networks. Curatorial Practice: Formerly Associate Curator at LACMA, she pioneered modern Chinese fashion collections. Collaborations with European/American institutions continue through her current projects on Edo-period textiles and light in fashion history.

• European and East Asian textiles
• Dress history
• Fashion history
• +7 more

Odd Arne Westad is the Elihu Professor of History at Yale University, specializing in modern international and global history with a focus on East Asia since the 18th century. He previously held positions at Harvard University and the London School of Economics. His research bridges Cold War studies, empire/colonialism, and China's economic reforms. Education: BA in History, Philosophy, and Modern Languages (University of Oslo) Graduate Degree in US/International History (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) Research Interests: Global Cold War dynamics and post-colonial transformations China’s international history and imperial trajectories Economic reforms in late 20th century China and their global impact Key Publications: The Cold War: A World History (2017) Restless Empire: China and the World Since 1750 (2012) The Global Cold War (2007) Awards: Fellow of the British Academy Fellow of multiple national academies Professional Activities: Active in global history networks, advising doctoral students on Cold War and Asian history. Teaches courses on empire, decolonization, and modern East Asia.

• Modern International History
• Global History
• East Asian History since the 18th Century
• +6 more

Madeleine Zelin serves as the Dean Lung Professor of Chinese Studies and History East Asia coordinator within Columbia University's Department of East Asian Languages & Cultures, maintaining active office hours and scholarly engagement. Her academic foundation includes: BA: Cornell University (1970) PhD: University of California, Berkeley (1979) Professor Zelin pioneers research in Modern Chinese Legal and Economic History , challenging conventional narratives about imperial China's economic restrictions through rigorous analysis of legal frameworks, merchant institutions, and customary business practices. Her iconoclastic approach reveals unexpected continuities between law, culture, and market dynamics in early modern China, particularly through case studies of industrial communities like Zigong. Her publications demonstrate sustained scholarly evolution from eighteenth-century fiscal systems to twentieth-century bankruptcy reforms, consistently emphasizing China's indigenous economic development models within global comparative contexts. Award recognition includes: Fairbank Prize (American Historical Association) Alan Sharlin Memorial Award (Social Science History Association) Humanities Prize of the International Conference on Asian Studies (ICAS) She actively cultivates next-generation scholarship as co-director of the AAS New Directions Workshop: Economic History of Asia and founding board member of the International Society for Chinese Law and History, while currently finalizing a book on China's earliest company and bankruptcy law reforms.

• Modern Chinese Legal History
• Modern Chinese Economic History
• Comparative History of Law and the Economy
• +3 more

Dr. Isabella Jackson is an Assistant Professor in Chinese History at Trinity College Dublin's Department of History. She specializes in modern Chinese history, with a focus on colonial Shanghai, treaty ports, and the intersections of imperialism and identity. Her research includes the CHINACHILD project, investigating the sociolegal status of enslaved girls and evolving conceptions of childhood in 20th-century China. She is also a co-editor of Treaty Ports in Modern China and author of Shaping Modern Shanghai , analyzing colonial governance and transnational networks. Her teaching includes courses on Republican China, global childhood history, and imperialism. She contributes to Trinity's Asian Studies programs, supervising PhD students researching topics like medical objects in late Qing China and Irish identities in Chinese maritime history. Dr. Jackson's work bridges urban history, colonial studies, and gender analysis, often exploring how global and local dynamics shaped modern China. Her research highlights include examining Sikh policemen in Shanghai's International Settlement, treaty port governance via the Shanghai Municipal Council, and the socio-political dimensions of foreign presence in China. She frequently publishes in journals like Modern Asian Studies and collaborates internationally on projects linking urban development, legal frameworks, and cultural identity.

• Modern Chinese History
• Colonialism
• Treaty Ports
• +5 more

Bruce Rusk is an Associate Professor in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia (Faculty of Arts) and serves as the Graduate Advisor. He previously taught at Cornell University for six years before joining UBC in 2012. During the 2012–13 academic year, he was on leave at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and the National Humanities Center in North Carolina. Additionally, he is the webmaster and past president of the Society for Ming Studies, a scholarly organization focused on Ming history and culture. Bruce holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where his dissertation, The Rogue Classicist: Feng Fang (1493–1566) and his Forgeries , examined sixteenth-century classical text forgeries. Following his Ph.D., he was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University from 2004 to 2006. He also earned his B.A. (History Honours) from UBC, which inspired his return to Vancouver to join the scholarly community here. His research focuses on the cultural history of pre-modern and early modern China, particularly the Ming and Qing dynasties. Key interests include authenticity and forgery in textual and material culture, transmission of knowledge, history of philology, writing systems in East Asia, and digital humanities. He collaborates globally on the SSHRC-funded FROGBEAR project, developing an open access repository for East Asian religious studies. Current work explores authentication practices surrounding artifacts like Xuande incense burners and silver ingots, reflecting his broader study of how authenticity and deception were negotiated in late imperial China. Recent publications address intersections between forgery, material culture, and digital methodologies, including co-editing Literary Information in China: A History (2021) and analyzing Ming-Qing literary practices. His work highlights the cultural significance of textual preservation and the sociocultural dynamics of early modern Chinese scholarship. As a leader in academic organizations, Bruce has contributed to the Society for Ming Studies, advancing research in Ming culture through his roles as webmaster and past president. His advising and grants include mentoring UBC graduate students and contributing to the FROGBEAR initiative. His career bridges historical research with digital innovation, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to Asian studies.

• Chinese Cultural History
• Material Culture
• Textual Studies
• +5 more

Susan Eberhard is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Art History at Swarthmore College. She holds a Ph.D. in History of Art from the University of California, Berkeley (2023) and a B.A. (Honors) in Art History from Swarthmore College (2009). Her work bridges late imperial Chinese art, transpacific visual culture, and material culture studies, with a focus on mobility, exchange, and the construction of art historical knowledge. Education: Ph.D., History of Art, University of California, Berkeley (2023) B.A. (Honors), Art History, Swarthmore College (2009) Eberhard’s research employs postcolonial, feminist, and comparative frameworks to analyze decorative arts, museum practices, and archival histories. Her publications explore transpacific exchange through objects like Chinese export silverware, emphasizing their cultural and historical significance. Her recent articles include studies on silver diplomatic gifts and the representation of export silverware in museum exhibitions. These works highlight interdisciplinary approaches to material culture, cross-cultural interactions, and the role of objects in shaping global narratives. Eberhard has taught at institutions such as Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and the California College of the Arts (CCA). She has also held positions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Peabody Essex Museum, and SFMOMA. Her research has been supported by grants from the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts (National Gallery of Art), Council for Library and Information Resources (CLIR), Terra Foundation, Blakemore Freeman Foundation, Decorative Arts Trust, New England Regional Fellowship Consortium, and the Huntington Library.

• Chinese Art
• Transpacific Visual Culture
• Material Culture Studies
• +7 more

Michele Matteini serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Art History at New York University's College of Arts and Science, specializing in Late Imperial Chinese painting and material culture (ca. 1400-1800) with focus on Qing dynasty antiquarianism, collecting practices, and eighteenth-century transnational artistic exchanges. His academic credentials include: Ph.D. (2012) in History of Art from the Institute of Fine Arts M.A. (2004) in History of Art from New York University B.A. (2000) summa cum laude from the University of Venice, Ca’ Foscari Research interests encompass Late Imperial Chinese painting, antiquarianism, collecting culture, Qing history, urban culture, inter-Asian artistic exchanges, eighteenth-century globalism, craft traditions, embodied knowledge, and art historical methodology. His interdisciplinary approach bridges anthropology, religious studies, and art history to examine material culture across East Asia. Recent publications reveal consistent thematic focus on eighteenth-century material practices, analyzing antiquarian objects, historical figure cults, and cross-cultural artistic production. Works integrate art historical analysis with anthropological perspectives on topics like rock collecting, filial piety, and sacred materiality, demonstrating how objects functioned within social and global contexts. His scholarly recognition includes: The Andrew Mellon Foundation Fellowship for Assistant Professors, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (2013-2014) Ittleson Fellowship, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art (2007-2009) Panofsky Distinguished Fellowship, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University (2002-2007) Matteini's research has been supported by major fellowships from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and National Gallery of Art. While current advising activities and grant projects beyond these fellowships are not detailed in available sources, his extensive publication record indicates sustained scholarly productivity focused on East Asian material culture.

• Late Imperial Chinese painting and material culture
• antiquarianism and collecting culture
• Qing history
• +6 more

Professor Jinhua Chen (PhD, McMaster University, 1997) is a leading scholar in East Asian Buddhism at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts. Holding a Canada Research Chair (2001-2011) and inducted into the Royal Society of Canada (2020), his work spans trans-regional Buddhist narratives, monastic institutions, relic veneration, and technological innovations in medieval Asian religions. Key Affiliations: UBC Buddhist Forum (Director), Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies (Resident Scholar), and editorial roles in Brill Book Series on East Asian Religions and Studies in Chinese Religions . Research Themes: Combines textual analysis with interdisciplinary methods to explore Buddhist sacred sites, doctrinal transmissions, and church-state dynamics. His projects include From the Ground Up (SSHRC Partnership Grant 2016-2023), examining East Asian religions through multi-media sources, and studies on ruixiang (propitious signs) in medieval Chinese prognostication. Scientific Awards: Royal Society of Canada Fellow, Canada Research Chair, SSHRC Insight Grants, Humboldt Research Fellowship, and Max Planck Institute funding. Publications: Over 30 book chapters and journal articles (2000-2016), including monographs on Fazang, Shingon-Tendai conflicts, and Buddhist sacred geography. Teaching: Courses on Chinese thought, Chan/Zen Buddhism, and Buddhist text interpretation, emphasizing methodological rigor and cross-cultural analysis. Projects: Directed international collaborations on Buddhist manuscripts, palace chapels, and relic cultures, with grants totaling over $4 million CAD.

• East Asian Buddhism
• Buddhist Transmission Narratives
• Church-State Relationships
• +6 more

Dr. Noga Ganany serves as University Associate Professor in the Study of Late Imperial China at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge, and holds dual roles as Governing Body Fellow and Director of Studies at Sidney Sussex College. Her scholarship centers on cultural history of Ming-Qing China (1400-1900), specializing in literature, religion, and book history with emphasis on print culture's role in religious practices. Education: PhD, Columbia University (2018) Research Focus: Dr. Ganany investigates the interplay between writing and worship in late-Ming hagiographic literature, examining how commercial publishing reshaped reverence for cultural icons and influenced pilgrimage. Her work extends to conceptualizations of death/afterlife through figures like King Yama, bridging literary analysis, religious studies, and historical context with material culture of the book. Publication Trends: Recent articles (2013-2023) reveal consistent engagement with religious narratives in late imperial China, particularly netherworld journeys, hagiographic texts, and tomb art. Her scholarship demonstrates interdisciplinary methodology combining textual analysis with visual/material sources, highlighting print culture's transformative role in religious practices and icon veneration. Academic Leadership: She actively supervises graduate research in late-imperial Chinese literature and religions, currently guiding Ilay Golan's PhD on overseas sailor religious traditions. Dr. Ganany organizes two major sponsored lecture series: 'Book Culture in Buddhism and Beyond' (Glorisun Global Buddhist Network) and the 'Yin-Cheng Distinguished Lecture Series on Buddhism' (Tzu Chi Foundation), fostering cross-disciplinary dialogue in Buddhist studies.

• Late Imperial Chinese History
• Chinese Literature (Ming-Qing)
• Religion in China
• +3 more

Xiaofei Tian is Professor of Chinese Literature in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences. She joined Harvard in 2000 after teaching positions at Colgate University and Cornell University. Her research centers on Chinese literature and cultural history from the Middle Period (1st–13th century CE), with expertise in manuscript culture, courtly literary production, and Buddhism's influence on poetic traditions. She also investigates late imperial/modern Chinese literature, travel writing, and Cultural Revolution trauma narratives. Professor Tian's scholarly contributions have earned significant recognition: Patrick D. Hanan Book Prize for Translation (2016) for The World of a Tiny Insect Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2006 for Tao Yuanming and Manuscript Culture Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2018 for The Oxford Handbook of Classical Chinese Literature She mentors graduate students while teaching courses including Art and Violence in the Cultural Revolution , and currently serves as Editor of Early Medieval China and founding co-editor of The Nanyang Journal of Chinese Literature and Culture .

• Medieval Chinese Literature
• Chinese Cultural History
• Manuscript Culture
• +8 more