Franz H. Michael | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1907 |
| Died | 1992 |
| Nationality | German-American |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Friedrich-Wilhelm University Seminar for Oriental Languages University of Freiburg |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | University of Washington Georgetown University |
| Doctoral students | Frederick W. Mote, Alice L. Miller |
| Main interests | Chinese history, Manchu people, Taiping Rebellion |
Franz H. Michael (1907–1992) was a German-born American scholar of China, whose teaching career was spent at University of Washington, Seattle, and at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Michael's research began with publications concerning the Manchus in China, the Qing dynasty and the Taiping Rebellion against it. He also studied Tibet and Inner Asia, and the tradition of authoritarian government in China, including the People's Republic of China. The themes of despotism, cultural synthesis or assimilation, and the modern fate of Confucian humanism shaped the choice of topics in Michaels' academic work and public advocacy, and his experience in 1930s Germany directly influenced his anti-totalitarian and anti-communist stance.
The festschrift The Modern Chinese State (2000) was dedicated "In Memory of Professor Franz Michael: Scholar, Advocate, and Gentleman". It grew out of a memorial conference at The George Washington University organized by a group of Michael's colleagues and former students.[1]