Shunhua Jin

Aufenthalt

April–Juli 2024

Forschungsthema

»In the Contact Zone. Historical Mosques and Islamic Material Culture in Northwestern China (17th–19th century)«

Projektbeschreibung

My research focuses on the historical mosques in Northwestern China, which have not been explored so far. Numerous Chinese Muslims live in this region, surrounded by different cultural and linguistic zones: Mongolia in the north, Turkestan in the west, and Tibet in the south. The investigation aims to understand the specific forms of Chinese mosques and the material culture associated with Chinese Muslims in this region. This study firstly maps the mosques that still exist today and dates them through visual analysis, local gazetteer and other documents. Secondly, it analyzes the form of these buildings through their spaces, materials and decoration, including inscriptions, wall paintings, and carvings. These will be compared to parallels in the local architecture and mosques of other regions in the Islamic world. Besides, the project explores these mosques as the hub of religious learning and productions, such as Quran and other Islamic manuscripts. Through this research, I would like to explore the visuality of Northwestern Chinese mosques through religious, social and historical contexts. I would also like to investigate potential connections to Ottoman art and other visual inspirations, providing the possibility to study this art beyond its relation to Islam in China.

Wissenschaftliches Profil

Shunhua Jin hat 2022 mit einer Arbeit über die Philosophie der Kunst an der Fudan-Universität in Shanghai promoviert. Seit Oktober 2023 ist sie Fellow am Museum für Islamische Kunst in Berlin. Zuvor hat sie am IrAsia (Asian Research Institute) der Universität Aix-Marseille als Postdoctoral Researcher geforscht.

Veröffentlichungen (Auswahl)

• »Depicting the Holy Cities: Study on a Chinese-Islamic Pilgrimage scroll« (im Erscheinen)
• »The Transformation of Domes in Medieval Chinese Mosques: From Immigrant Muslims to Local Followers«, in: Open Archaeology, Bd. 9, Nr. 1, (2023), S. 20220319.
• »Representing and Experiencing Islamic Domes. Images, Cosmology, and Circum-ambulation«, in: Religions, Bd. 13, Nr. 6 (2022), S. 526.
• »The exhibition is not spectacular (on an exhibition of Persian miniatures in Shanghai)«, in: The Paper, online, 2021-12-23 (auf Chinesisch).
• »Dioramas: A History of Regard (on exhibition »Diorama« at Palais de Tokyo, Paris)«, in: Art Monthly, Bd. 9 (2017) (auf Chinesisch).

Forschungskontext

Shunhua Jin folgt der Einladung von Hagit Nol, Juniorprofessorin für Islamische Archäologie an der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main. Ihr Aufenthalt wird durch das von der VolkswagenStiftung geförderte Projekt »Islamische Archäologie und Kunstgeschichte« (IAAH) und einen ECR Grant der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt unterstützt.