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Cynthia Brokaw is a specialist in late imperial Chinese history, focusing on the period from approximately 1400 to 1900. She received her Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1984 and has taught at prestigious institutions such as Vanderbilt University, the University of Oregon, and Ohio State University before joining Brown University in 2009. Brokaw's research examines the history of woodblock publishing in late imperial China, as well as the complex interactions between textual knowledge and non-elites during the late Ming and Qing dynasties. Her notable works include 'Ledgers Merit Demerit: Social Change Moral Order Late Imperial China' and 'Commerce Culture: Sibao Book Trade Qing Republican Periods', which showcase her extensive archival fieldwork in China. She engages with themes around popular religious beliefs and their role in social ideologies, as well as the dissemination of cultural materials through rural book publishing. She continues to explore how print culture contributed to the cultural and political reintegration of regions like Sichuan during the Qing dynasty. Brokaw teaches a variety of courses at Brown University, covering topics such as Chinese political thought, urbanization, and gender relations in late imperial China.
Department: Department of Economics