Carl Kubler

Carl Kubler is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Carnegie Mellon University’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences. His work focuses on Sino-Western relations, emphasizing grassroots dynamics of trade, migration, and cross-cultural encounters in late imperial and modern China.

• Ph.D. in History from the University of Chicago (2022)
• Graduate Certificate in Chinese and American Studies from the Hopkins-Nanjing Center
• B.A. from Yale University

His research challenges conflict-centric narratives of Sino-Western interactions, highlighting cooperative problem-solving among marginalized groups like sailors, laborers, and merchants. He is currently writing two books: one on Qing-era Sino-Western socioeconomic relations and another on the "coolie trade" in the Atlantic World.

• Awarded the 2022 World History Association Dissertation Prize
• Shortlisted for the 2024 Oxford University Press Dissertation Prize in International History
• Recipient of grants from ACLS, NEH, SSRC, Mellon Foundation, Fulbright Program, and Henry Luce Foundation

At CMU, Kubler aims to expand academic programs in Asian, Asian American, and global diaspora studies, fostering critical engagement with contemporary geopolitical issues through historical analysis.