Chinese studies and sinology have flourished in recent decades, in tandem with the economic and political rise of the People's Republic of China. As the world's longest continuous civilisation, China provides rich sources and case studies for a diverse range of research in the humanities and social sciences. At Monash University, graduate research in Chinese studies and sinilogy is focused on political, historical and cultural issues in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Several staff members also have strong interdisciplinary interests in Taiwan studies. In addition to individual supervision, the program runs graduate research workshops on theoretical and methodological issues of relevance to China research. Many of our graduate students also undertake field research as part of their candidature, supported with University, school or program funding. Several graduate supervisors in Chinese studies also have the experience and expertise to co-supervise students enrolled in linguistics and translation studies.
Research supervision is available in areas including:
- Chinese thought and intellectual history
- Chinese politics and foreign relations
- post-Mao Chinese society
- mainland and diasporic cultural issues
- Taiwan history and cross-strait relations
- Taiwan politics and foreign relations
- Traditional and modern Chinese culture and literature (including Chinese culture in the digital age).
