Klaus Mühlhahn (born August 19, 1963) is a German historian and
sinologist
Sinology, or Chinese studies, is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of China primarily through Chinese philosophy, language, literature, culture and history and often refers to Western scholarship. Its origin "may be traced to the ex ...
who was a Professor and Vice President of the
Free University of Berlin
The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...
. Since 2020 he serves as president of Zeppelin University. He was awarded the
John K. Fairbank Prize The John K. Fairbank Prize in East Asian History is offered annually for an outstanding book in the history of China proper, Vietnam, Chinese Central Asia, Mongolia, Manchuria, Korea, or Japan, substantially after 1800. It honors the late John K. ...
in 2009 for his book ''Criminal Justice in China: A History''.
Biography
In 1993 Mühlhahn received a Master's degree in Sinology from the
Free University of Berlin
The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...
, where he also worked as research assistant from 1993 to 2002 in the Department of Sinology. In 1998 he received his Ph.D. in Sinology at the FU Berlin with his
dissertation "Herrschaft und Widerstand in der 'Musterkolonie' Kiautschou". From 2002 to 2004 he was visiting fellow at the Center for Chinese Studies, at
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
. From 2004 to 2007 he was Professor of Contemporary Chinese and Asian History at the Institute for History of the
University of Turku
sv, Åbo universitet
, latin_name = Universitas Aboensis
, image_name = University of Turku.svg
, motto = ''Vapaan kansan lahja vapaalle tieteelle''
, established = 1920
, type ...
. In 2007-2010 he was Professor of History and Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
in Bloomington. Since 2010 he has been Professor of Chinese History and Culture at the FU Berlin and since 2014 vice president.
In 2009 Mühlhahn was awarded the
John K. Fairbank Prize The John K. Fairbank Prize in East Asian History is offered annually for an outstanding book in the history of China proper, Vietnam, Chinese Central Asia, Mongolia, Manchuria, Korea, or Japan, substantially after 1800. It honors the late John K. ...
of the
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world. Founded in 1884, the AHA works to protect academic freedom, develop professional s ...
for his book ''Criminal Justice in China: A History''.
Publications
*
Making China Modern. From the Great Qing to Xi Jinping'' Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2019.
* ''Die Volksrepublik China.'' Berlin/ Boston: De Gruyter, 2017.
* (Ed.): ''The Cultural Legacy of German Colonial Rule.'' Berlin/ Boston: De Gruyter, 2015.
* with Wen-hsin Yeh, Hajo Frölich (Ed.): ''Rethinking Business History in Modern China.'' Berkeley/ Seoul 2015 (= ''Cross-Currents e-journal'', 16).
* with Nina Berman und Patrice Nganang (Ed.): ''German Colonialism Revisited: African, Asian, and Oceanic Experiences.'' Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2014.
* with Nathalie van Looy (Ed.): ''The Globalization of Confucius and Confucianism'', Münster / London: Lit, 2012 (= ''Berliner China-Hefte – Chinese History and Society'', 41).
* with Clemens von Haselberg (Ed.): ''Chinese Identities on Screen.'' Münster/ London: Lit, 2012 (= ''Berliner China-Hefte – Chinese History and Society'', 40).
* ''Criminal Justice in China – A History.'' Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2009.
References
External links
* Interview with Klaus Mühlhahn on April 11, 2019 at the Asia Society'
''China File''
* An excerpt from ''Making China Modern'', on ''gaige kaifang'' („reform and openness“), was published at th
''LARB'' blog ''China Channel'' 02.2019.
* On the NPR podcast
Throughline
''Throughline'' is a historical podcast and radio program from American public radio network NPR. The podcast aims to contextualize current events by exploring the historical events that contributed to them. Its episodes have outlined the histo ...
, Klaus Mühlhahn and others explain how Sun Yat-sen’s nationalist movement completely reshaped both Taiwan and mainland China.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muhlhahn, Klaus
1963 births
Living people
German sinologists
Free University of Berlin alumni
Academic staff of the Free University of Berlin
Academic staff of the University of Turku
Indiana University Bloomington faculty
Historians of China