Headshot of Piotr Gibas with a trimmed beard, smiling wearing a denim jacket.

Piotr Gibas, Ph.D.


Director of Chinese Studies | Associate Professor of Chinese

Education

Ph.D.University of California - Berkeley, in Chinese Language, 2009. Dissertation: “Waiting for the Unicorn: Perception of Time and History in Early Chinese Writings.”

 

Research Interests

Gibas specializes in Chinese literature and thought with a focus on historiography. His research includes disciplines of literature, religion, history, visual arts, philosophy, archaeology, language and anthropology. Most recently, Gibas has been focusing on Chinese food history and writing his book, “To Eat the Inedible: History of Food in China.”


Courses Taught

Gibas teaches courses in Asian Studies, Chinese language, food culture and literature, and leads study abroad in China and Southeast Asia.

Some Courses:

CHST 240 “Chinese Food, Culture and Literature.”

ASST 240 “Food, Faith and Travel in Asia.”


Publications

Oh, Jerry! Part 1 – Chinese Course for Beginners. Learn Chinese - Enjoy the Story. Skapago Publishing, 2021 https://www.skapago.eu/jerry/

“History as Future—Time, Prediction, and Historical Narrative in the Zuo zhuan 左傳.” Early China 41, 2018.

“Mozi and the Ghosts: The Concept of Ming 明 in Mozi’s “Ming gui” 《明鬼》.” Early China 40, 2017.

“Traumatic Terroir: Food, Memory, and the Cultural Revolution in Hunan, China.” Global Food History, vol. 3, no.1, Spring 2017.