Chinese Culture and Society

Professor Daria Berg's research seeks to inform the present by showing how cultural practices and social norms have evolved in China.

How has the Internet changed the ways Chinese people experience and reflect on their world? How do Chinese men and women perceive the extraordinary social and cultural transformations of 21th-century China? What are their dreams, desires, fears, hopes and nightmares behind the façades of skyscrapers and neon lights? Through studies ranging from Ming/Qing vernacular fictional narratives, women's writings, and courtesan poetry in late imperial China, to body writing, best sellers, banned books and blogs in post-Deng China, Professor Daria Berg's research seeks to inform the present by showing how cultural practices and social norms have evolved in China. Her research develops approaches from modern literary theory and cultural studies to examine Chinese literature, print culture, and gender, providing new insights into how China's citizens experience the current revolution in the cultural arena.