Shirley Chan

Shirley Chan is Associate Professor in Chinese philosophy and culture. She has broad research interests in Chinese culture, philosophy, history and textual studies. She is interested in the relationship between human nature and societal issues and how humans shape the world we inhabit. Shirley’s research currently focuses on the language and philosophy of crisis in ancient China. 

Shirley believes a deep understanding of Chinese culture and history in a global context is crucial not only from an academic point of view but also for building ethical, just, and inclusive communities.

Dr. Chan has served as President of the Chinese Studies Association of Australia (CSAA) and was an executive committee member of the Oriental Society of Australia for many years. In addition, she has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Chinese Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell), Bamboo and Silk (Brill) and as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Oriental Society of Australia (2018-2021). Shirley spoke on Chinese culture and history in programs produced by the BBC (Genius of the Ancient World: Confucius, with British historian Bettany Hughes), ABC, SBS, and international online teaching platforms such as MOOC and Coursera. She delivered invited lectures and seminars to museums, art exhibitions, cultural centres, city councils, research centres, and various overseas and local institutions. She was a Visiting Professor at Bern University, Tsinghua University, National Taiwan University and Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is a member of the MQ University Research Centre for Cultural Heritage and Environment.

Dr. Chan is available to supervise HDR and research projects.

- Sinology, Chinese culture, Chinese history, Chinese philosophy, ancient Chinese texts and intellectual history, Chinese excavated texts, etc.

Currently Convening and/or Teaching

FOAR7008 Globalizing Cultures (post-graduate unit)

INTS7001 Special Topics in International Studies: Languages and Cultures

CHIN2210/3010 Chinese Studies 5

CHIN2220/CHI3020 Chinese Studies 6

INTS2001 Language in Use

INTS7000 Critique in Language, Literature and Culture

INTS3010 International Studies Research Project 

Courses Taught and Convened

Traditional Chinese Thought

The Chinese Classics

Chinese Literature and Culture

Traditional Chinese Culture and Society I

Traditional Chinese Culture and Society II

The Chinese Capstone Unit

Contemporary Chinese Culture and Society I

Contemporary Chinese Culture and Society II

The Chinese Research Project

Chinese History

Chinese Literature from Hong Kong and Taiwan

Introduction to Chinese Civilization

Introduction to Classical Chinese

Advanced Chinese I

Advanced Chinese II

Intermediate Chinese I

Intermediate Chinese II

Introductory Chinese I

Introductory Chinese II

Courses Convened

Chinese Calligraphy

History of Chinese Art

• The Honourable Dr Helen Sham-Ho Research Funding for Project "Crisis Management in Chinese Mythology." 2023-2024
• Mr Kenny Li Research Funding for Project on Excavated Ancient Chinese Texts. 2017-2022.
• Mr and Mrs Albert Li /Kenny Li Research Funding for Ancient Chinese Culture and Chinese Texts 2016-2022 (CI)
• Faculty of Arts Themed Research Workshop Grant, 2014. (CI)
• Faculty of Arts Publication Subsidy Scheme, 2013. (CI)
• Macquarie Research Development Grant, 2010-2012. (CI)
• Research Grant, the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, 2009-2011. (CI)
• Departmental Teaching Index Grant Funding, 2011. (CI)
• Macquarie University New Staff Grant，2005-2006. (CI)  

PhD and HDR Supervisions

• Lili Cai (PhD): The Sino-British Relations and the 19th Century Globalization: John Francis Davis’ Role (Principal Supervisor) (2023- )
• Xiansong Chen (Visiting PhD student): The Chu Writing Scripts and Ancient Chu Culture (Principal Supervisor) (2023-2024)
• Wang Xia (MRes): The Politics of Translation: Paratext Narratives in the Service of the Hundred-Day Reform in China (1849) (Principal Supervisor) (2022-2023) (Completed)
• Tyler, Dehn (MRes): “Nature” (性), “Mind” (心), and “Sentience” (有情) in Zhanran’s Jingangpi (金剛錍)”: An investigation of “nature” and moral cultivation in Jingxi Zhanran’s “Diamond Scalpel” (Principal Supervisor) (2021-2023) (Completed with HD)
• Lam Wai Hung: Interpreting and Understanding Traditional Chinese Medical Texts: Chinese Philosophy in Zhang Xichun’s 張錫純 Yixue zhong zhong can xi lu 醫學衷中參西錄 (On Medicine: Chinese at Heart and Western as Reference) (Part-time) (Principal Supervisor) (2015-2021) (PhD, completed)
• Sabrina Yuan: Robert van Gulik: Life and Work (Associate Supervisor) (2012-2016) (PhD, completed)
• Esther Li: The Effect of Australian Culture on Compliment Responses of Mainland Chinese Speakers of English (Associate Supervisor) (2011-2015) (PhD, completed)
• Daniel Lee: The Sensual and the Moral: "Confucian Poetics" and the Book of Odes (2010-2013) (Principal Supervisor) (PhD, completed)
• Iain Clark: Legitimacy from Antiquity: Qing Imperial Ceramic Ritual Vessels for State Occasions (2010-2014) (Principal Supervisor) (PhD, completed)
• Jonathan Goodall: An Examination of the Syncretic Nature of Han Fei's Philosophy and His Utilization of the Concept of Wuwei in the Han Fei Zi (2011) (Principal Supervisor) (Honours, completed)
• Daniel Lee: Eileen Chang on Hong Kong: a Cultural Delineation of a Colonial Discourse (2009) (Principal Supervisor) (Honours, completed)