Michael James Puett

Michael James Puett is the Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History and Anthropology at Harvard University, holding a joint appointment in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations and the Department of Anthropology. He also serves as the Director of the Harvard University Asia Center and is a Harvard College Professor, an honor recognizing exceptional undergraduate teaching. His work bridges history, anthropology, religion, and philosophy, focusing on early China (c. 1200 BCE–755 CE) and its integration into broader historical and comparative frameworks.

Research interests include early Chinese ritual, political theory, and cosmology, with emphasis on ritual's role in shaping social and ethical practices. He has authored seminal works on Chinese religious and philosophical thought, including To Become a God and The Ambivalence of Creation, and co-authored Ritual and its Consequences, challenging Western concepts of sincerity through comparative analysis.

Puett’s teaching excellence is underscored by awards such as the Joseph R. Levenson Memorial Teaching Prize and the Harvard College Professorship. His popular undergraduate course, 'Classical Chinese Ethical and Political Theory,' explores ancient Chinese thought’s relevance to modern ethical decision-making. He directs the Asia Center, fostering interdisciplinary research on Asia across Harvard.

His advisory contributions are recognized via the Star Family Prize and Everett Mendelsohn Award. Puett’s work transcends academia, advocating for applying classical thought to contemporary societal challenges through ritual and ethical frameworks.