Prof. Dr. Christian Schwermann

Christian Schwermann focuses on the historical semantics of dependency in Early China (ca. 1200 to 200 B.C.E.) paying particular attention to its economic aspects. Whereas previous research described ancient Chinese societies along the conceptual lines of "slavery" and "freedom", a closer look at the old Chinese lexicon reveals that there was no such polar conceptual dichotomy. Instead, there was a wide range of terms designating various degrees of dependency, many of them referring to types of temporary forced labor and related to the punishment of crimes (punitive labor). It was likely only since the fourth century B.C.E. that it was possible for people to be bought and sold on markets. It was also likely around this time that a mode of production remotely resembling ancient slave economies emerged.However, even this mode of production is reflected in the sources and can be analyzed in terms of forced labor. That being said, this slavery-resembling mode does not seem to have been the predominant mode of production in Early China.

1 book, 2 edited volumes, 17 articles and reviews. Ca. 150 invited talks and lectures, and ca. 120 supervised M.A., B.A. and Ph.D. theses.

2014
Habilitation and Venia legendi in Sinology, University of Muenster, Germany

1999–2005
Ph.D. in Sinology, Unversity of Bonn, Germany

1991–1999
M.A. in Sinology and English Language and Literature, University of Bonn, Germany

1987–1990
M.A. in Sinology, Japanology, Ancient, Medieval and Modern History, University of Bonn (Germany) and Sichuan University (Chengdu, China)

since 2016
Professor for Language and Literature of China, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany

2010–2016
Research Associate at the Department of Sinology, Institute of Oriental and Asian Studies, University of Bonn, Germany

2009–2010
Teacher of Chinese and English at the Geschwister-Scholl Comprehensive School Dortmund, Germany

2001–2009
Research Associate at the Department of Sinology of University of Bonn, Germany

• German Resarch Foundation (DFG) (subproject SFB 1167, since 2016)

Total sum of approximately € 325,000.