Achim Mittag

Prof. Dr. Achim Mittag is Professor of Chinese Language, Literature and Philosophy in the Department of Chinese Studies at the University of Tübingen, Faculty of Humanities. He has held this position since 2005 and has previously served as a lecturer and visiting scholar at institutions including the University of Munich, Bielefeld, Leiden, Marburg, New York, and Essen.

His research centers on Chinese historiography, intellectual history, and Classical Learning (jingxue), with a focus on the Song dynasty, the legacy of Wang Anshi, and pre-modern Chinese concepts of time and spatial representation. He actively participates in interdisciplinary and comparative projects on historical thought across cultures.

Prof. Mittag is co-authoring a major three-volume sourcebook on Chinese historiography from antiquity to the present. His influential publications include co-edited volumes on comparative historiography and cross-cultural historical consciousness, reflecting sustained engagement with global scholarly dialogues.

Scientific Awards:

• Co-author of a prize-winning book: Geschichtsdenken in Europa und China (2008)

He advises doctoral students (Doktorandinnen und Doktoranden) and associated researchers (Assoziierte Wissenschaftler) and has contributed to academic service through editorial leadership. Since 2014, he has served as co-editor of the Journal of Asian History. He also initiated Tübingen's pioneering Chinese language teacher training program to support Chinese instruction in German high schools.

Prof. Mittag is affiliated with the Department of Chinese Studies, where he continues to lead research, teaching, and institutional development in Chinese philology and historical thought.