Byzantium in China: A Subjective View

Having previously taught and been taught Byzantium in Europe and the UK, my two years in China have opened my eyes on a world of different research questions and methods. Byzantine identities and intersectionalities disappeared behind the horizon, but the question “why Byzantium?” looms larger than ever. Is Byzantium in China an academic reservation akin to Sinology in the West? What are the motivations for studying or researching it? What are the prospects of our students? It is difficult to generalise but I will offer some thoughts based on my interactions with the students and colleagues that I had the opportunity to meet. I will also survey the topics that are of interest to colleagues in China based on the most recent annual conference of ancient and Byzantine historians, and a bibliography of recent Byzantine research in China. I will, finally, reflect on the potential for comparative and global approaches. That cultural background matters is a cliché, but China holds perhaps some lessons on how we may adapt the communication about our field to diverse audiences in the West and the East.