This project aims at bringing together the next generation of art historians from the “East Asian Mediterranean”—here conceived as a geographic, historical, and cultural space of connections centering around the regions of Kyushu, Okinawa, Taiwan, and South Korea. We will explore exchanges of people, ideas, and artifacts in this geographical region during two historical periods, the First (1500–1850) and Second (1850–1945) Global Ages, respectively. We will revisit a history of continuous interaction, exchange, and transculturation in the fields of art, historiography, visual and material culture.

The project will bring together about 15 junior academics, primarily affiliated with an institution in or researching a topic related to East Asia, for a period of two-years, beginning in the fall of 2023. We will hold a series of lectures and reading workshops, embark on two travel seminars in the region of the “East Asian Mediterranean,” and build a digital mapping platform.