Edward Louis Shaughnessy (born July 29, 1952) is an American

sinologist Sinology, also referred to as China studies, is a subfield of area studies or East Asian studies involved in social sciences and humanities research on China. It is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of the Chinese civilizatio ...

, scholar, and educator, known for his studies of early

Chinese history The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...

, particularly the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...

, 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; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

as an undergraduate student, graduating in 1974 with a B.A. in

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

, after which he spent several years studying Chinese in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

and Japanese in

Kyoto, Japan Kyoto ( or ; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it the ninth-most pop ...

. He then went to

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

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, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

, where he is currently the Lorraine J. and Herrlee G. Creel 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 university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic Church, ...

. 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''. 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 Scholars of ancient Chinese philosophy