I am thrilled to welcome the incoming participants of Manuscript Workshop: New Directions in Chinese Studies, a workshop on the parameters and practices of manuscript development on topics regarding China and the larger Sinophone sphere. Sponsored by the Asian Studies Program at Vanderbilt University, the workshop will take place on October 20th-22nd 2016 (Thursday-Saturday), at Vanderbilt University.

With the Manuscript Workshop, we seek to provide a space in which scholars from different disciplines can share innovative ideas and approaches, and engage in in-depth discussion of each other’s works. This 2016 workshop features the challenges and solutions of developing book manuscripts. Participants will reflect on the general issues regarding conceiving, structuring, and materializing book manuscripts, and will provide specific comments on each other’s works from interdisciplinary perspectives. The workshop consists of a method session followed by discussions of individual projects.