I am applying to Leiden University due to its reputation as an astounding institute of higher education with a highly accomplished faculty, as well as, its suitability to my research interests. The History, Arts and Culture of Asia MA is a unique opportunity to gain a thorough knowledge of East Asian history and culture with a focus on visual and material culture. My academic interests center on cross-cultural interactions during the early modern period manifested in visual and material culture. I am particularly interested in the relationship, fostered by trade, between China, Japan and the Netherlands.
During the seventeenth and eighteenth century, Dutch society experienced a dramatic transformation with the establishment of the …show more content…
The Dutch imbued their art with references to the non-Western world from the use of foreign clothes in history paintings to foreign objects in still-life paintings.
These representations of foreign cultures in visual and material culture in the Netherlands have been studied as representative of the mutually influential relationship between the Netherlands and East Asia. However, these visual representations of foreign cultures can be misleading or misrepresentative. Two of the most recognizable examples of Dutch studies of East Asian culture are Olfert Dapper’s seventeenth-century ethnographic study of China and Johan Nieuhof’s Het gezantschap der Neêrlandtsche Oost-Indische Compagnie aan den grooten Tartarischen Cham, den tegenwoordigen keizer van China, a travel book depicting his voyage to China with the Dutch East India Company. Both of these famous works were flawed in their depiction of China as Dapper never actually traveled to China and Nieuhof’s access to China was restricted due to the Ming dynasty, and the subsequent Qing dynasty, restrictions against foreign travel …show more content…
I am particularly interested in Dr. Oliver Moore’s and Dr. Katarzyna Cwiertka’s respective research. Dr. Moore’s exploration of Chinese visual and material culture of late imperial and early modern periods aligns with my own research interests. I have also used his online directory of sources for the study of Art and Material Culture of China in my own research. I am also interested in Dr. Cwiertka’s research on material and consumption, particularly in Japan, and globalization. In addition to the great faculty, I am also interested in the program’s unique opportunity to continue my studies with the double degree program. I intend to continue my studies in Taiwan upon the completion of the master’s program at Leiden University. I am interested in studying at National Taiwan University, a top university, where I may pursue primary research studying cross-cultural interactions in Taiwan during the early modern period The former Dutch Formosa, Taiwan, plays an important role in the cross-cultural interaction between China and the Netherlands, including, relations between the Dutch and the aborigines at Dutch forts and trading posts, such as, Fort Zeelandia in Anping, modern day Tainan, and interactions between the Dutch and Chinese through the immigration of Chinese people as labourers for the
During the seventeenth and eighteenth century, Dutch society experienced a dramatic transformation with the establishment of the …show more content…
The Dutch imbued their art with references to the non-Western world from the use of foreign clothes in history paintings to foreign objects in still-life paintings.
These representations of foreign cultures in visual and material culture in the Netherlands have been studied as representative of the mutually influential relationship between the Netherlands and East Asia. However, these visual representations of foreign cultures can be misleading or misrepresentative. Two of the most recognizable examples of Dutch studies of East Asian culture are Olfert Dapper’s seventeenth-century ethnographic study of China and Johan Nieuhof’s Het gezantschap der Neêrlandtsche Oost-Indische Compagnie aan den grooten Tartarischen Cham, den tegenwoordigen keizer van China, a travel book depicting his voyage to China with the Dutch East India Company. Both of these famous works were flawed in their depiction of China as Dapper never actually traveled to China and Nieuhof’s access to China was restricted due to the Ming dynasty, and the subsequent Qing dynasty, restrictions against foreign travel …show more content…
I am particularly interested in Dr. Oliver Moore’s and Dr. Katarzyna Cwiertka’s respective research. Dr. Moore’s exploration of Chinese visual and material culture of late imperial and early modern periods aligns with my own research interests. I have also used his online directory of sources for the study of Art and Material Culture of China in my own research. I am also interested in Dr. Cwiertka’s research on material and consumption, particularly in Japan, and globalization. In addition to the great faculty, I am also interested in the program’s unique opportunity to continue my studies with the double degree program. I intend to continue my studies in Taiwan upon the completion of the master’s program at Leiden University. I am interested in studying at National Taiwan University, a top university, where I may pursue primary research studying cross-cultural interactions in Taiwan during the early modern period The former Dutch Formosa, Taiwan, plays an important role in the cross-cultural interaction between China and the Netherlands, including, relations between the Dutch and the aborigines at Dutch forts and trading posts, such as, Fort Zeelandia in Anping, modern day Tainan, and interactions between the Dutch and Chinese through the immigration of Chinese people as labourers for the