Michela Bussotti

Michela Bussotti serves as a Director of Studies at the French School of the Far East (EFEO) in Paris, specializing in Cultural History of China with particular focus on the 15th-19th centuries. She has been authorized to supervise research since 2011 and maintains an active research profile at the intersection of book history, printing techniques, and visual culture in imperial China.

Her academic journey began with university studies at Ca' Foscari University in Venice, followed by advanced studies and a doctorate at the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris. She previously held positions at the University of Liège's Center for Chinese Studies (2000-2001) and taught at the EPHE's Section of Historical and Philological Sciences (2007-2012) before joining EFEO's permanent staff.

Bussotti's research centers on the history of books, illustration, and publishing in China, with special expertise in Chinese printing techniques and local history of the Huizhou region during the late imperial period. Her work bridges material studies with cultural history, examining how books functioned as cultural artifacts in Chinese society. She has made significant contributions to understanding Sino-European cultural exchanges in the realm of book production and visual representation.

Her recent publications demonstrate consistent focus on Chinese book history and printing techniques, with increasing attention to comparative perspectives between Chinese and European printing traditions. These works reveal her expertise in analyzing both technical aspects of printing and their cultural contexts, particularly regarding the Huizhou region's distinctive publishing traditions.

• Stanislas Julien prize from the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres (2003)

As an educator, Bussotti has conducted seminars at the EHESS since 2014 on Cultural History of China and History of Visual Culture of East Asia. She has supervised research since 2011 and co-organized significant academic initiatives including the Workshop on Local Primary Sources on Late Imperial China (900-1900). Her digital scholarship includes valuable online resources, particularly the database on Huizhou genealogies available through both EFEO and the National Library of China websites.