Jeffrey Niedermaier

Jeffrey Niedermaier is the Mulberry Essence Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature and East Asian Studies at Brown University. He specializes in premodern Japanese literature and poetry, focusing on how texts in classical Japanese and literary Chinese contributed to trans-Asian literary networks. His research explores hybrid literary writings and their role in imagining broader global and cultural landscapes.

Education:

• AB in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago
• PhD in Japanese Literature from Yale University

Research Interests: Niedermaier’s work bridges comparative methodologies and multilingual studies, analyzing how premodern texts situated Japan within a trans-Asian ecumene. He investigates themes like cosmopolitan literacies, world literature, and the Sinographic Sphere’s cultural exchanges. His current book project, The Poetics of Elsewhere, examines how 'resonant verse' transported readers beyond East Asia to regions like Persia and Portugal.

Awards & Fellowships:

• Fulbright-Hays Fellowship (for research in Tokyo)
• Support from Yale, Brown, and the U.S. Department of Education

Teaching & Grants: He teaches courses on premodern Japanese literature and comparative poetics. His research has been published in The Journal of World Literature and Asiatische Studien - Études asiatiques. He is also translating the Wakan rōeishū, a 11th-century anthology of Japanese and Chinese verse.