East Asia by the Book! CEAS Author Talks ft. Katherine Alexander
THIS IS AN IN-PERSON EVENT AND WILL NOT BE LIVE STREAMING.
BOOK GIVEAWAY!
Score a FREE copy of Katherine Alexander’s book!
The first (5) University of Chicago students (currently enrolled) who register to attend the event will receive their very own copy, compliments of the Center for East Asian Studies! Registrant MUST register using their full name AND UChicago email address and check in on the day of the event. Registrant will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to retrieve their book from CEAS.
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Taiping Civil War (1851–1864) was one of the most destructive wars in Chinese history, with the death toll estimated between twenty and thirty million. What visions did survivors have for restoring their fractured society once the war ended? Katherine L. Alexander’s Teaching and Transformation in Popular Confucian Literature of the Late Qing approaches these questions through literature by examining the works of evangelical Confucian teacher Yu Zhi (1809-1874), who gave a voice to the zealous side of conservative Confucian reform efforts before, during, and after the Taiping War. His works offer radical visions of a world that could be restored through collective effort and goodness, while also revealing the shifting nature of power and the cracks in Qing society.
Yu’s works complicate the picture of socio-moral reform, particularly the Confucian mission of jiaohua (teaching and transformation). Though he viewed the disasters of the late Qing as the natural consequence of jiaohua’s failure to compete against socially disruptive media, such as vernacular fiction and theatrical productions, he also wanted reformers to engage closely with these genres. Yu became a vocal advocate of teaching with moral vernacular literature that he believed met commoners at their level. He emphasized the hope that by writing, printing, and performing such texts, every member of his audience could be transformed into teachers themselves, restoring society from the bottom up.
To learn more about the book, click here:
https://www.semcoop.com/teaching-and-transformation-popular-confucian-literature-late-qing
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katherine Alexander’s research interests in early modern China sit at the intersection of literary culture, social history, and religious history. Her first book, Teaching and Transformation in Popular Confucian Literature of the Late Qing was published by University of Michigan Press in 2025. The book examines the works of evangelical Confucian teacher Yu Zhi (1809-1874), who gave a voice to the zealous side of conservative Confucian reform efforts before, during, and after the Taiping War.
She received her MA and PhD in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago, after a BA with honors in Physics and East Asian Languages and Cultures at Beloit College. She joined the faculty at CUBoulder in 2016.
ABOUT THE DISCUSSANT
Ariel Fox is Associate Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations and the Committee on Theater and Performance Studies at the University of Chicago. Her work explores the intersection of literary and economic imaginaries in late imperial China. She is the author of The Cornucopian Stage: Performing Commerce in Early Modern China (Harvard University Asia Center, 2023).
EAST ASIA BY THE BOOK! CEAS AUTHOR TALKS SERIES
The East Asia by the Book! CEAS Author Talks series showcases CEAS faculty, alumni, and special guests who provide author talks and book launches as a way to engage the broader community in conversations regarding key scholarship on East Asia. This series features a presentation by the author(s) that is often facilitated through conversation with a discussant, following by a question and answer session with the audience. For more information on the series, follow the link here: https://ceas.uchicago.edu/events/east-asia-the-book-ceas-author-talks
SPONSORSHIP
This event is presented in partnership with the Seminary Co-op Bookstores.
PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY
Please note that there may be photography taken during this educational event by the University of Chicago Center for East Asian Studies for archival and publicity purposes. By attending this event, participants are confirming their permission to be photographed and the University of Chicago’s right to use, distribute, copy, and edit the recordings in any form of media for non-commercial, educational purposes, and to grant rights to third parties to do any of the foregoing.
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