New Digital Methods in East Asian Studies

Zoom Webinar

The past isn’t what it used to be – and that’s a good thing. Computer power is allowing scholars of East Asian history and culture to approach their subjects in new and revealing ways, and we will hear from three especially innovative practitioners – all of them UChicago PhDs. 

James Lee and his team have created enormous databases of Qing dynasty (1644-1912) officials, 20th century Chinese officials and college graduates, and Liaoning peasants that have revolutionized our understanding of Chinese demography, of long-run patterns of social mobility, and of the expansion of higher education and human capital in modern China. 

Jeffrey Tharsen has used digital methods to uncover previously unexpected patterns in ancient texts, and relationships between different texts; among other things, this has enabled him to shed new light on how older versions of Chinese sounded, and thus on how both poetry and prose created their effects on listeners. 

Susan Burns has used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools to map patterns of disease and medical care in late 18th through early 20th century Japan, as well as urban history more generally, as well as text mining that reveals surprising patterns of social and cultural change; she also teaches courses in which students quickly learn to create their own historical GIS projects. 

These scholars will both introduce their own work and discuss how digital tools are transforming the study of East Asia, the humanities and social sciences more generally. Spoiler alert: the future of the past looks brighter and brighter.   

April 12, 2022
9:30pm               Japan | South Korea
8:30pm               Hong Kong | Beijing | Singapore
6:00pm               Delhi
2:30pm               Paris
1:30pm                London
7:30am               Chicago

Speakers:

Susan L. Burns (PhD’94)
Professor of History, East Asian Languages and Civilizations
The University of Chicago

James Z. Lee (PhD’83)
Yan Ai Foundation Professor of Social Science
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Jeffrey R. Tharsen (PhD’15)
Associate Technology Director of Digital Studies
The University of Chicago

Moderator:

Kenneth Pomeranz
Faculty Director
The University of Chicago Yuen Campus in Hong Kong

About Director’s Pick

From current news, STEM, to arts and history, The University of Chicago Hong Kong Campus Faculty Director and Executive Director share a broad range of interests. The Director’s Pick series catalogs an array of webinars covering various topics that our directors wish to share with our audience. Read More