معرفی
Liang Cai is the Ruth and Paul Idzik Associate Professor in Digital Scholarship at the University of Notre Dame, Department of History. She specializes in Chinese political, legal, and intellectual history of the Qin-Han dynasties (221 BCE–23 CE), with additional expertise in Confucianism, digital humanities, and social network analysis. Her research leverages archaeologically excavated manuscripts and computational methods to reevaluate foundational narratives of Chinese civilization.
- Ph.D., Cornell University
Dr. Cai's work interrogates the interplay between law and morality in early Chinese empires, focusing on convict labor systems and their political implications. She explores how utopian ideals and amnesty policies eroded legal frameworks, leading to Confucian skepticism toward law. Her digital humanities project constructs structured biographical databases of early Chinese officials.
Recent publications analyze corrective justice's absence in Han legal systems, Confucian virtue's role in governance, and the hermeneutics of omen-based political theology. Her scholarship bridges traditional historiography with computational analysis.
Scientific Awards:
- 2014 Academic Award for Excellence (Chinese Historians in the United States)
- 2015 Best First Book in the History of Religions finalist (American Academy of Religion)
Dr. Cai collaborates with computer scientists to model bureaucratic networks in early China. Her research has been supported by grants enabling manuscript digitization and network visualization projects.
