Virtual Brown Bag Colloquium: "Deus per Machinam: Boston Protestants and Woodblock-Stereotype Chinese Printing, 1807–1834"

When

12:30 p.m., March 2, 2022

Where

Heng Du, Assistant Professor, East Asian Studies, UArizona

March 2, 2022, at 12:30 PM

The July 1834 issue of the New England Protestant journal Missionary Herald contains a chimerical insert: biblical verses translated into Chinese printed from stereotype plates cast from carved woodblocks. This was the first known attempt at printing Chinese writing on American soil, an obscure project of which few traces remain. Given the availability of less costly and more expedient printing methods, why did missionaries resort to this unlikely hybrid concoction? Through analyzing the publications surrounding this event, I underscore the religious, social, and cultural dimensions of technological experimentation. 

This event will be hosted on Zoom.