Mimi Chang

Mimi Chang is a cultural historian of the global nineteenth century currently affiliated with the Department of History at the John F. Kennedy Institute, Freie Universität Berlin. She serves as a Research Fellow and is presently a fellow at the Newberry Library in Chicago, with plans to join the Lise Meitner Group “Coded Objects” at the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz—Max-Planck-Institut next spring.

Her research spans transnational visual culture between Europe and East Asia, comparative histories of cartography and the built environment, and the relationship between knowledge and imperialism. This interdisciplinary work bridges colonial history, visual studies, and the history of science, examining how aesthetic forms in scientific materials like nautical charts challenge claims of European epistemological superiority during imperial encounters.

Dr. Chang's scholarly contributions have been recognized through prestigious fellowships:

• American Council for Learned Societies
• Social Science Research Council
• German Historical Institute Washington
• Forschungzentrum Gotha at the Universität Erfurt

Her current project analyzes clandestine European surveying missions along the Chinese coast (1860s-1880s), revealing tensions between scientific representation and imperial aggression. She actively participates in international research networks and will contribute to the Lise Meitner Group's exploration of material culture in knowledge production, with future work focusing on the politics of visual representation in colonial contexts.