Area of Expertise

Chinese language, literature and culture of late Imperial China

Additional Information

Raphael Zhang's primary research field is literature and culture of late imperial China, in particular literati and family literature/culture of the late Ming and the Ming-Qing transition periods, roughly the 17th century. By focusing on the more "marginalized" individuals and groups of the social elite and their ways of self-(re)presentation and identity (re)construction, Zhang's research aims to illuminate the intricate relationships between the political and the cultural fields in pre-modern China. His research interests also include Chinese cinema and popular culture as well as translation and adaptation studies. He has published articles and book chapters on Chinese literati culture/literature, contemporary Chinese cinema and its reception.