Prof. Dr. Charles Theodore Sanft

Profile

Academic positionFull Professor
Research fieldsAsian Studies
KeywordsManuscript studies, Premodern Chinese history, Premodern China studies, Early Chinese bureaucracy, Premodern Chinese literature
Honours and awards

2024: College of Arts and Sciences New Research, Scholarly, and Creative Projects in the Arts & Humanities Award, University of Tennessee

2024: David V. and Kathryn G. White Undergraduate Teaching Award, University of Tennessee

2022: University of Tennessee Humanities Center Faculty Fellowship

2021: Joseph Levenson Pre-1900 China Book Prize Honorable Mention, Association for Asian Studies

2021: Lindsay Young Professorship, University of Tennessee

2020: James Henry Breasted Book Prize, American Historical Association

2019: University of Tennessee College of Arts and Sciences Mid-Career Research Excellence Award

2017: American Council of Learned Societies Fellowship

2014: Duke University East Asian Library Travel Grant

2011: Member, School of Historical Studies, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton

2006: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science post-doctoral fellowship

Current contact address

CountryGermany
CityMünchen
InstitutionLudwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)

Host during sponsorship

Prof. Dr. Armin SelbitschkaLudwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), München
Start of initial sponsorship01/10/2025

Programme(s)

2025Carl Friedrich von Siemens Research Award Programme of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

Nominator's project description

Professor Sanft is one of the leading scholars in the field of early China studies. His research has introduced new levels of analytical depth and methodological sophistication to the study of early imperial socio-political history. His groundbreaking work on historical texts, especially excavated manuscripts, has revealed new facets of the interplay between state administration and the populace. In Germany, Professor Sanft will probe early Chinese medieval excavated manuscripts and compare them with medieval Latin manuscripts.