Edward Louis Shaughnessy (born July 29, 1952) is an American Sinologist, scholar, and educator, known for his studies of early

Chinese history The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the ''Book of Documents'' (early chapter ...

, particularly the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...

, and his studies of the ''Classic of Changes'' (''I Ching'' 易經).

Life and career

Edward Shaughnessy was born on July 29, 1952. He attended the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main c ...

as an undergraduate student, graduating in 1974 with a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

, after which he spent several years studying Chinese in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

and Japanese in

Kyoto, Japan Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the cit ...

. He then went to

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...

for graduate study in Asian languages, earning his Ph.D. in 1983 with a dissertation entitled "The Composition of the ''Zhouyi''". After receiving his Ph.D., Shaughnessy joined the faculty of the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, where he is currently the Lorraine J. and

Herrlee G. Creel Herrlee Glessner Creel (January 19, 1905June 1, 1994) was an American Sinologist and philosopher who specialized in Chinese philosophy and history, and was a professor of Chinese at the University of Chicago for nearly 40 years. On his retirement ...

Distinguished Service Professor of Early Chinese Studies. Shaughnessy's wife, Elena Valussi, is an Italian scholar of East Asian history who teaches at

Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic universities in the United States. Its namesake is Saint Ignat ...

. They have two children.

Selected works

* Shaughnessy, Edward L. (1983). "The Composition of the ''Zhouyi''". Ph.D. dissertation (Stanford University). * * * * * * ———, ed. (1997). ''New Sources of Early Chinese History: An Introduction to the Reading of Inscriptions and Manuscripts''. Early China Monograph Series 3. Berkeley: Society for the Study of Early China; Institute for East Asian Studies, University of California Berkeley. * ———; Loewe, Michael, eds. (1999). ''

The Cambridge History of Ancient China ''The Cambridge History of China'' is a series of books published by the Cambridge University Press (CUP) covering the history of China from the founding of the Qin dynasty in 221 BC to 1982 AD. The series was conceived by British historian Den ...

''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * ———, ed. (2005). ''China: Empire and Civilization''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. * *

References

External links

Biography of Shaughnessy

website. {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaughnessy, Edward L. 1952 births Living people American sinologists University of Notre Dame alumni Stanford University alumni University of Chicago faculty