Josepha Richard
Landscape History
Academic Qualifications
- 2005-2008. Paris IV Sorbonne University, BA (Hons) 2.2, in Art History and Archaeology
- 2008-2010. Paris IV Sorbonne University, MA Research (1st) in Art History and Archaeology
- 2008-2011. Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO), Paris,
BA (2.1), Chinese Studies including a year abroad at Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- 2011-2012. University of Leeds, MA (1st), Advanced Chinese Studies
- From 2012. University of Sheffield, PhD in Landscape History
Research Biography
My research focuses on the art and history of gardens of China.
During my BA at the Sorbonne University, when I first studied the topic, I was interested in ‘classical’ examples of gardens such as the private gardens of Suzhou or the imperial parks in the Beijing area.
However, while researching for my two years of French Master Degree at the Sorbonne University, I grew more of an interest for less famous gardens such as those in the Lingnan region (around Guangzhou). My first Master dissertation was dedicated to a specific building found in many Chinese gardens, called the ‘dry boat’. It was the opportunity to compare different regional types of gardens, which led to my second Master dissertation focused on the modern Orchid Garden (Lanpu) in Guangzhou and a keen interest in Lingnan gardens.
After my year abroad in Chengdu, China, I became aware of an apparent neglect of regional garden styles outside Jiangnan (Suzhou area) and Beijing in scholarly studies.
Therefore I decided to explore this question in my MA dissertation "Criticising the regional bias in the Western study of Chinese gardens" at the University of Leeds, under the direction of Dr. Alison Hardie.
Thus I started a PhD in Landscape History at the Department of Landscape, University of Sheffield. I chose to continue the topic of "Regionalism in the gardens of China" with the agreement of my supervisors Jan Woustra and Alison Hardie. While still interested in classical Chinese gardens of Jiangnan, Beijing, and historical gardens now destroyed, I also started to study relatively ‘neglected’ gardens such as those of Lingnan region and more recently those of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces.
Research Interests
Chinese History (with a focus on Qing Dynasty and the History of Western Travellers in China), Chinese Gardens and Architecture, Conservation and Heritage, Art History and Archaeology, Photography History
Twitter : @GardensOfChina
gardensofchina.blogspot.com