Dr.
Robert J. Antony
Department of History
Western Kentucky University
Ritual Sword Dance
Danshui, Taiwan, 2002
My research focuses on the cultural, social, and legal history of modern
China. I take an interdisciplinary approach to the study of history,
borrowing ideas and methodologies from history, anthropology, folk studies,
sociology, and religious studies to explore the underside of Chinese
history, culture, and society.
Most of my early research examined crime and law in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) China, especially issues relating to bandits, pirates, and secret societies in Guangdong, Fujian, and Taiwan in the 18th and 19th centuries. These studies were based primarily on extensive research in the Qing Archives in Beijing and in Taiwan. My book, Like Froth Floating on the Sea (University of California, Berkeley, 2003), is a socio-cultural history of piracy and seafaring in late imperial South China. I continue to work on pirates and maritime history, now in the context of world history.
Over the past several years I have been doing fieldwork in Guangdong, Fujian, and Taiwan, studying folk religion and popular rituals, and blending these findings with more traditional historical materials.
Several years ago I gave a talk called "Walking on Fire, Climbing a Ladder of Knives: Ritual and Festival in a Taiwan Village," which was based on fieldwork in 2001-2002 (see photo on this page).
Building upon my previous research, currently I am working on several
new projects that involve both archival research and fieldwork in South
China:
- Crime, Community, and State in Late Imperial China is a study
of banditry and secret society activities in Guangdong in the mid-Qing
period and their interrelationships with local communities and the imperial
state.
- Rats, Cats, Wizards, and Crooks examines the cultural history
of crime, violence, and folk religion of South China in the Qing Dynasty.
Names of Convicted Bandits Checked off by the Emperor to be Executed
Copyright © Robert Antony 2006