Dr. Jinghong Zhang is a historian of modern China and East Asia. Zhang is interested in the social and cultural history of modern China, the history of medicine, and Science and Technology Studies (STS). She is currently working on a book manuscript tentatively titled Down to the Roots: The History of Dentistry and Oral Hygiene in Modern China, which is the very first historical monograph that examines the development of dentistry in China from the late imperial era to contemporary times. Focusing on the connections between dental development, the discourse of oral hygiene, and everyday life in modern China, this book reveals how teeth and mouths were transformed from intimate parts of the body into subjects of scientific study, consumerism, and healthcare. Zhang’s research has been supported by the Association for Asian Studies, the D. Kim Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, the University of California, and others.
Dr. Zhang teaches courses on modern Chinese history, East Asian history, and the history of medicine at UMBC. She looks forward to working with students who are interested in social and cultural history, Chinese history, the history of science and medicine, as well as gender and the body.
jhzhang@umbc.edu