Dr. Rebecca Robinson

Biography

Rebecca Robinson is a historian specializing in ancient China, particularly during the Warring States period and the Han dynasties (441 BCE - 220 CE). Her research also encompasses the Roman Republic and the early Empire. She focuses on governance issues, especially at their intersections with various aspects of society such as religion and the environment. Robinson is particularly interested in the lasting impact of political and social institutions of antiquity, aiming to establish a dialogue between the ancient world and our present. Her current research examines modes of political power in ancient China through the study of political theories, laws, and administrative archives to understand how the state sought to monitor its population. She connects this research to broader histories of surveillance, questioning how states tried to oversee their populations in the pre-modern world. Her first book, Imperial Cults: Religion Politics Early Han Roman Empires (Oxford, 2023), demonstrates that reforms of religious institutions under Emperor Wu of Han and Augustus were crucial for consolidating imperial authority and identity in both the Han and Roman empires. By approaching her work comparatively, she challenges established ideas about religion and state, posing new questions from familiar materials.

Research Interests