Nathan Vedal

Nathan Vedal is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, specializing in late imperial Chinese history and literature, East Asian book history, and the history of linguistic thought. His research combines intellectual, cultural, and literary approaches from the fifteenth to nineteenth centuries.

• PhD, Harvard University
• MA, Harvard University
• BMus, Curtis Institute of Music

His work explores knowledge circulation through book history and historical linguistics. Current research investigates early modern information management practices, including encyclopedia compilation and reader engagement. Key projects include studies of Manchu intellectual culture, linguistic cosmology, and visual knowledge systems.

Recent publications focus on Manchu translations, Ming-era linguistic reforms, and Tang Dynasty examination poetry. Themes include intellectual boundaries, script/sound relationships, and textual adaptation.

Scientific Awards:

• 2021 American Council of Learned Societies Fellowship
• 2021 Mellon Fellowship for Assistant Professors at Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton
• 2020 National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipend
• 2018 Junior Fellow at Pennsylvania State University's Center for Humanities and Information