Emory University’s Ph.D. program in Asian History is extremely selective. We admit a small number of outstanding students per year, to whom we provide close personal attention and support, thus building small cohorts of exceptional graduates. The program focuses on the theme of colonialism, postcolonialism, and the making of the modern. By colonialism, we refer not only to European colonialism, but also to Asian colonialism, such as the Japanese Imperialism of the Meiji Restoration era and the informal Chinese colonization that took place throughout East and Southeast Asia. In the making of the modern we seek to draw attention to regional differences of early modern conditions and culture and the influence that such local differences had on modern historical trajectories. The program is also an outstanding place to focus on transnational history and subaltern studies.

Our core faculty are Gyan Pandey, who specializes in Indian History and subaltern studies; Mark Ravina, who specializes in early modern Japanese history and the Meiji Restoration; and Tonio Andrade, who specializes in Ming-Qing Chinese history and comparative colonialism. The history department is also home to various faculty who specialize in other parts of Asia, such as Matthew Payne, whose research focuses on Kazakhstan; Marina Rustow, whose research is on western Asia; and Jeffrey Lesser, whose research includes the Asian Diaspora. The department also has faculty whose teaching and research are closely connected with colonialism and imperialism, such as Clifton Crais, David Eltis, Kristin Mann, and Susan Socolow. Outside the department are a broad range of specialists, such as Roxani Margariti and Ruby Lal (MESAS), Deepika Bahri (English), Laurie Patton, John Dunne, Sara McClintock, and Eric Reinders (Religion), Joachim Kurtz and Rong Cai (REALC).The program also benefits from the seminars, fellowships, and visiting faculty at Emory’s Institute for Comparative and International Studies, Asian Studies Program, and East Asian Studies Program.

In their first and second year, students focus on coursework, including a foundational seminar in Asian history and historiography. Thereafter they specialize, choosing three fields of expertise in which they are expected to pass comprehensive examinations. Then they complete a dissertation with one of the program’s core faculty members. Like graduate students in other universities, they have the opportunity to undergo teaching training, but Emory’s structure is uniquely supportive: The Teaching Assistant Training and Teaching Opportunity (TATTO) Program is widely recognized as a model for integrating pedagogy with graduate education. In sum, Emory’s Ph.D. program in Asian history, with its emphasis on colonialism, postcolonialism, and the making of the modern, produces scholars uniquely qualified to teach and write in a profession that increasingly values comparative, global, and transnational history.

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