Ban Wang

Ban Wang (born 1957) is a Chinese-American sinologist. He is the William Haas Professor in Chinese Studies at Stanford University, where he is also a professor of Chinese literature.

Life Born in Xiamen, Fujian, Wang graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University with a B.A. in English literature in 1982 and an M.A. in English literature in 1985. He moved to the United States in 1988, and China in the World: Culture, Politics, and World Vision. Wang has held the position of Editor-in-chief for Chinese Literature Series with Palgrave and Brill Presses.

Works Wang has authored books throughout his career. In 1997, he authored the book The Sublime Figure of History: Aesthetics and Politics in Twentieth-Century. The book offered a cultural history examining the intersection of aesthetics and politics in modern China, exploring how various political projects shape personal and collective identity through aesthetic manifestations across a range of cultural materials and contexts. His 2002 book Narrative Perspective and Irony in Chinese and American Fiction analyzed how various authors from different cultural backgrounds employ irony as a tool for critical commentary on prevailing social norms and discourses. Through this book, he explored the works of Chinese writers such as Lu Xun, Ah Cheng, and Yu Hua, as well as English writers like Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain.

In 2004, Wang authored the book Illuminations from the Past: Trauma, Memory, and History in Modern China, offering a cultural analysis of modern China. The book also explored how Chinese intellectuals and artists grapple with trauma, social change, and globalization. Arif Dirlik reviewed the book and said, "Illuminations from the Past is one of the most rewarding books I have ever read on contemporary China in recent years." He further commended the author's effort to challenge historical claims as sources of truth yet acknowledged that the truths from the past are likely the most accurate we have. His 2022 book China in the World: Culture, Politics, and World Vision explored China's modern evolution, examining its national identity in relation to global engagement. The book also discussed the tension between traditional concepts and Western influences, analyzing China's pursuit of unity, equality, and solidarity with Third World nations. More recently in 2023, he authored the book At Home in Nature: Technology, Labor, and Critical Ecology in Modern China. The book examined how anthropocentrism and technoscientific arrogance in modern China have led to ecological crises and human alienation, proposing utopian ideals of non alienated labor as a potential solution for fostering resonance between humans and the Earth.

Awards and honors 2000 – Fellowship award, National Endowment for the Humanities 2008 – Presidential Award in International Studies, Stanford University