Prof. Dr. Max Oidtmann 歐麥高

Sprechstunde:
Sprechstunde nach Vereinbarung: https://calendly.com/maxoidtmann

Professor of Chinese and Central Asian History

Ph.D. 2014 Harvard University, History and East Asian Languages
M.A. 2007 Harvard University, Regional Studies East Asia
B.A. 2001 Carleton College

I am a historian of China during the "late imperial period" (roughly 1400 through the early 20th century). I am interested in how China-based states such as the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1636-1912) interacted with neighboring states and societies, as well as how they governed their own diverse populations. Simultaneously, I am curious about how non-Chinese subjects of the Ming and Qing states made sense of their inclusion within these great empires and how their culture and social structures changed over time.

In more concrete terms, I have been studying 1) the relationship between Tibetan Buddhist elites and the Qing government and 2) the local religious and legal cultures of Tibetans, Mongols, Muslims, and Chinese who lived in the borderlands between the Tibetan plateau and the north China plains (areas now referred to as Gansu and Qinghai provinces).

At LMU I teach a broad range of courses on the history of China and Central Asia from late imperial times to the present. I offer lectures on the "Politics and Society of Late Imperial China" and seminars on diverse topics such as comparative studies of Xinjiang and Uzbekistan, the PRC and the Soviet Union, Tibetan history, Islam in China, Chinese legal and administrative history, Ming and Qing vernacular literature, and the religious and minority affairs policies of the Chinese Communist Party. I train students at the BA, MA, and PhD levels to read primary sources in Chinese, Manchu, and Tibetan, as well as employ the methodological tools of historians.

For prospective PhD candidates: I am willing to mentor students working on topics related to the cultural, social, legal, economic, environmental, and/or religious history of China and Central Asia from the 1400s to the present. I review applications for admission into the PhD program on a twice-yearly basis, October 1 (for candidates who wish to begin in the next summer semester) and March 1 (for candidates who wish to begin in the next winter semester). Applicants can expect a response within two weeks from the application deadlines.

Prospective candidates should submit the following materials to sekretariat@ostasien.fak12.uni-muenchen.de . Cover letter, research proposal with bibliography, and CV. Applicants should also be prepared to submit confidential letters of recommendation if requested. All candidates must clearly demonstrate that they have received adequate training to successfully research and write a dissertation in the discipline of history using primary sources. Limited funding is available for exceptional applicants.

Kurse im Sommersemester 2024

1. Politics and Society of Late Imperial China (Vorlesung) # 12550

Monday 16:00-18:00 C.T.; LMU Hauptgebäude A119

Since 2013, the leading slogan of the People’s Republic of China has been the achievement of the “China Dream.” Xi Jinping has referred to this as the “Great rejuvenation of the Chinese people (Zhonghua minzu de weida fuxing 中华民族的伟大复兴).” The slogan is thoroughly modern (The phrase “Chinese people” didn’t exist until the 1890s)—yet clearly referential to the country’s past. How do we make sense of these tensions? How do people in China understand their history? Who were they? How has this past shaped the present and how might it influence the future?

This course is an investigation of the history of China from 1200 through the early 20th century in order to understand how the recent “rise” of China has both built upon and diverged from its imperial foundations. Special attention will be paid to China’s multiple roles in the development of the economy of the early modern world and the transformation of “China” into a vast, multi-ethnic empire during the seventeenth through eighteenth centuries. We will then examine how during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, people in China grappled with the legacies of the imperial past and its intellectual traditions as they sought to build a rich and powerful state to compete with Europe, the US, and Japan.

2. How Does China Work? (Proseminar) #12868

Wednesday 12:00-14:00 C.T.; Institute for Sinology, Room 003

This course provides a basic overview of how contemporary society in China works. We will investigate the political-economy of the PRC from the bottom-up: How do people get educated? How do they find jobs? What factors shape the workplace? How do people build families and pass on status and wealth to the next generation? How do people stay "safe"? How do ideas of gender influence people's lives? How do people interact with "the system" (the political order of the PRC)? How do conflicts between people get resolved? How does growing up in rural or urban environments affect life outcomes? What is it like to be a religious or ethnic minority? How is information created and disseminated? How is culture produced? Who gets to make "culture" and how? How does the government make policy and how do these policies get implemented on the ground? Although the class will focus on answering these questions for present-day China, we will also take into consideration the historical development of Chinese society since the collapse of the imperial system in 1912 and especially since founding of the People's Republic of China.

3. "Managing Empire among the non-Han: Qing Documents from/for the Borderlands” (MA Übung) 12872

Thursday, 8:30-10:00 C.T.; Institute of Sinology, Room 109

This tutorial will introduce historical materials produced either in the Qing-period (1636-1912) borderlands or for the conquest and governance of these regions. The tutorial will pay particular attention to materials concerning the Inner Asian (or Central Asian) domains of inner and outer Mongolia, Xinjiang (Zungharia and the Tarim basin), Qinghai, and Tibet. Although the focus will be on Chinese-language sources, materials in other non-Sinitic languages may be examined depending on the abilities and interests of the participants. Participants are expected to submit three to four primary source analyses for assessment.

4. “Social History of Late Imperial China: Personal Perspectives” (Proseminar) #12868

Thursday 14:00-16:00 C.T., Institute of Sinology, Room 004

This course is designed to complement the lecture course Politics and Society of Late Imperial China. The seminar will closely read a series of primary sources (in translation) that provide personal perspectives on key historical events and topics from the thirteenth through early twentieth centuries. For example, we will examine ideas of the family and gender, artistic expression, Confucianism, understandings of the world of the spirits, crime and punishment, dynastic transitions and political crisis, and the arrival of European ideas and colonialism. We will read a range of sources, including novels, poetry, essays, and government documents. The course will provide training in the use of primary sources and an overview of key debates in the field of Sinology. Participants will be expected to make presentations throughout the semester and write one term paper.