In a series of moderated round-table discussions, the project participants will explore the broad implications of the project theme for the study of early China and of the past in general.
Possible areas of discussion may include:
- The hermeneutical relationship between archaeology and history, and the particularities of its manifestation in early China studies
- The correlation of excavated texts to transmitted ones, and its effects on the study of early Chinese manuscripts
- Teleologies of genre in early Chinese intellectual history: the implications of later categories on the study of early texts
- Narratology and “editorial motive” as approaches to compound texts
- The role of objects, with and without accompanying texts, in narrative-historical constructs
Initiative participants are encouraged to suggest other round-table topics via email to: onaltarsofsoil@gmail.com.
In advance of the workshop, the contributors will exchange papers based on their talks provided in the lecture series. The workshop itself will include panels in which contributors introduce the developed form of their work and fellow participants provide feedback. These discussions of individual case studies will help the contributors produce robust written statements of their work for publication.
In this supplementary session, graduate students planning dissertations on relevant topics will have the opportunity to present their plans and receive feedback from both faculty (i.e., workshop participants) and fellow students. Through this session, we hope to convey the methodological insights of the workshop to the coming generation of scholars.
Graduate students working on early China whose projects fit the theme of the initiative, as well as PhD advisors whose students may benefit from the opportunity, are encouraged to inquire about taking part! Please email the project organizers at: onaltarsofsoil@gmail.com.
This session will accommodate remote participation by interested graduate students.
