معرفی
Jan Karlach is a Researcher in Social Anthropology at King's College London's Department of Theology & Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts & Humanities. Previously, he served as a Lumina Quaeruntur research fellow at the Czech Academy of Sciences' Oriental Institute (2020–2023). He holds a PhD in Sociology from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (2021), an M.A. in Sinology from Charles University (2014), and a B.A. in Sinology (2010), with extensive exchange studies in China. His research focuses on state-driven modernization and animistic ontology among the Nuosu-Yi in Southwest China, digital technology's cultural negotiation, and the interplay between Chinese ethnic policies and local cosmologies. Key projects include the ERC-funded 'Cosmological Visionaries' exploring shaman-scientist collaborations on climate change.
Research interests span historical anthropology of Southwest China, the history of Chinese ethnology, and everyday ethnicity. He teaches courses on Chinese anthropology, ethnic policies, and qualitative research methods. His work appears in journals like Journal of Chinese History and Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. Media engagements include expert commentary in the Financial Times and Straits Times on poverty alleviation and ethnic policies.
Recent articles (2023–2025) analyze smartphone-mediated rituals, state-Nuosu-Yi clan dynamics, and mythogeographies in Southwest China. Projects like the 'Cosmological Visionaries' team emphasize interdisciplinary approaches to environmental initiatives and indigenous knowledge systems. He collaborates with the REDCARU research unit on Asian ethnic and religious diversity.
