Yuen-Gen Liang
Assistant Professor of History
Office: Knapton Hall 325
Office Hours: TuTh 2-3:20, W 1-1:50, or by appt
Phone: (508) 286-3687
Email: ygliang@wheatonma.edu
Degrees
Ph.D., Princeton University
B.A., University of California, Berkeley
Arabic study at the French Institute for Arabic Studies at Damascus (Syria)
Main Interests
The Early Modern World
Early Modern Europe/Spain
Ottoman Empire
The Middle East in the Islamic Period
Research Interests
Medieval and early modern Spain/Spanish empire
Premodern empires
Family history
History of the European nobility
Christian and Muslim interaction in the Mediterranean world
Physical space and social structure
Transmission and circulation of experience, expertise, and knowledge
Teaching Interests
Courses taught in European History:
101 Development of Modern Europe from the Medieval Era to 1789
298 Old Regime and Revolutionary France (under development)
351 War and Peace in the Mediterranean World
398 Great Books in Socio-Cultural History of Early Modern Europe (under development)
401 Senior Seminar (European concentration)
Courses taught in Middle Eastern/Islamic History:
FYS How the Middle East Views the West
251 Early Islamic Societies
252 Modern Middle East
351 War and Peace in the Mediterranean World
352 Social Movements in Modern Islam
Other Interests
I enjoy traveling and have visited many countries in the Middle East and Europe. I hope to travel more extensively in Latin America and Africa in the coming years. You'll see photographs from these travels in my courses.
Student Projects
I would be excited to work with students doing research projects using historical documents from 15th- to 18th-century Europe and students who want to explore aspects of Middle Eastern/Islamic history.
Publications
A Family History of Empire: The Fernandez de Cordoba lineage and the construction of the Spanish Realm (under review)
Selected Publications, Creative Work or Performances
AWARDS:
IIE-Fulbright Grant to Syria (1996-1997)
SSRC International Dissertation Research Fellowship (2000-2001)