BUSTH CGCM Awarded Grant for China Historical Christian Database Project
The Boston University School of Theology is pleased to announce the Center for Global Christianity and Mission (CGCM) was awarded a Digital Humanities Advancement grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for their project “China Historical Christian Database: Mapping the Spatial and Social Networks of Christianity in China, 1550-1950.” This peer-reviewed grant is one of only 20 Digital Humanities Advancement grants awarded nationally by the Endowment, which support “the implementation of innovative digital humanities projects that have successfully completed a start-up phase and demonstrated their value to the field,” according to the NEH website.
The China Historical Christian Database provides quantifiable data about locations of Christian houses of worship and other Christian-led organizations from the mid-16th century through 1950 in present-day China. Through this mapping project, the database also helps identify how Chinese missions acted as conduits between East and West, allowing for exchanges of knowledge and practices.
“The CGCM has been working on the China Historical Christian Database for three years. We have built a proof-of-concept and received the input and feedback of more than 250 scholars worldwide,” said Daryl Ireland, Research Assistant Professor of Mission. “There has been growing momentum to build something that can quantify and visualize the place of Christianity in modern China, and now that is possible. Support from the National Endowment for the Humanities will make our aspiration finally attainable.”
The building of the database and collaboration among contributing Boston University researchers was also featured in this November 2020 article published by BU Today.
Read the Full NEH Announcement