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Symposium led by Historians from the Centre for
Reformation and Early Modern Studies, University of Birmingham at Wuhan
University, China, 9-10 September 2009
Six historians and literary scholars from
Birmingham
University
’s Centre for Reformation and Early Modern Studies visited
China
to lead a symposium on ‘Political and Cultural Changes in late medieval and
early modern
England
’. Our host was Professor Xiang Rong,
head of the Institute for 15th to 18th century World
Historical Studies at
Wuhan
University
and a former PhD student at
Birmingham
.
Professor
Richard Cust
, convenor for the Centre for Reformation and Early modern Studies, who led the
delegation said ‘This is an important opportunity not only for broadening the
dialogue between British and Chinese historians, and introducing Chinese
scholars to recent trends in the study of the period, but also for marketing
postgraduate history courses in China.’
The venture is timely. The British and Chinese governments
have in recent years embarked on a series of co-operative ventures in higher
education designed to develop collaboration between scholars in the two
countries.
Birmingham
University
has been at the forefront of these initiatives and has provided training for
large numbers of PhD students from
China
, both in the humanities and the sciences. The History department at
Birmingham
regularly plays host to visiting scholars from
China
, including Professor Xiang who works on the history of Staffordshire in the
period of the English Civil War.
The delegation featured a range of senior and junior
historians and literary scholars, including Professor Robert Swanson who has
made frequent visits to
China
and established close academic links with historians there.
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