The Institute for Chinese Studies presents:
"Big Data for the Study of the Qing"
Cameron Campbell
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Abstract: Cameron Campbell will introduce historical datasets for Qing China that the Lee-Campbell Group has constructed, analyzed, and made public over the last four decades, provide examples of findings from their analysis that showcase their potential, and review the challenges associated with historical database construction and analysis. The Lee-Campbell Group datasets are all large, individual-level, and longitudinal, and amenable to the application of techniques from the digital humanities and social sciences to explore topics related to family, population, and society in China before the 20th century. The first of these was the China Multi-Generational Panel Datasets (CMGPD), which Campbell and Lee began releasing via ICSPR more than a decade ago. The CMGPD-Liaoning (LN) contains 1.5 million records of 250,000 individuals who lived in rural Liaoning between 1749 and 1909. The CMGPD-Shuangcheng (SC) contains 1.1 million records of 100,000 individuals who lived in Shuangcheng, Heilongjiang, between 1860 and 1911. These two datasets are not only suitable for the study of demographic behavior and social mobility, but other topics such as ethnic identification, naming practices, and intermarriage. Since 2014, Campbell and his collaborators have focused on Qing political and educational elites, constructing and analyzing datasets covering the careers of civil and military officials from 1760 to 1911 (China Government Employee Dataset-Qing CGED-Q Jinshenlu JSL) and the family backgrounds and exam performance of exam degree holders (CGED-Q Examination Records ER), They have released excerpts from the CGED-Q JSL for 1760-1798, 1850-1864 and 1900-1912. Additional data on the family backgrounds of exam degree holders and local officials have been transcribed from Tongnian Chilu and Tongguan Lu. Campbell will also introduce other major database projects led by others, and discuss prospects for advancing the study of Qing history by the integration of these different databases.
Free and Open to the Public
If you require an accommodation, such as live captioning, to participate in this event, please contact EASC at easc@osu.edu. Requests made at least two weeks in advance of the event will generally allow us to provide seamless access, but the university will make every effort to meet requests made after this date.
This event is supported by a U.S. Department of Education Title VI grant to The Ohio State University East Asian Studies Center.
