About Us
We combine research, teaching and practice in China studies, with focal areas in politics and law, literature, art and culture, Chinese as a foreign language and language didactics, and history and society.
Professors | History of the Institute | Department of Chinese Studies | Administrative Office
Professors
Ferrari, Rossella
Deputy Director of the Institute
Spitalgasse 2
1090 Vienna
Room: 2F-O1-26
+43-1-4277-43854
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Göbel, Christian
M.A.
Spitalgasse 2
1090 Vienna
Room: 2F-O1-38
+43-1-4277-43851
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Steinhardt, Heinz Christoph
Spitalgasse 2
1090 Vienna
Room: 2F-O1-34
+43-1-4277-43853
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Schick-Chen, Agnes
Spitalgasse 2
1090 Vienna
Room: 2F-O1-36
+43-1-4277-43847
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History of the Institute
How did private Chinese lessons develop into Chinese Studies at the University of Vienna? Our history traces the work of early pioneers such as Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher, who taught himself Chinese, and his student August Pfitzmaier, who became a lecturer in 1843. It continues with Arthur von Rosthorn, who was appointed honorary professor in 1922—only to lose his position for political reasons in 1939. These milestones illustrate how long the discipline oscillated between individual commitment and institutional fragility.
After the Second World War, Chinese language teaching returned in the 1950s. The decisive step towards establishing Chinese Studies as an independent academic discipline came with the university reform of 1972 under Minister Firnberg: Otto Ladstätter was appointed, and teaching began in 1973/74—on a small scale, but with ambitious goals and a clear focus on contemporary China and modern Chinese. Discover the milestones that followed, the people who shaped the field, and how individual initiatives developed into Vienna’s tradition of Chinese Studies.
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Department of Chinese Studies
How can the rapid political, social, and economic transformations in Greater China be understood? The Department of Chinese Studies at the University of Vienna examines mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan in their historical depth, political diversity, and contemporary dynamism. Its research focuses on developments in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries—from digitalisation, governance, and law to protest, political participation, and international relations, as well as environmental issues, cultures of remembrance, and social change.
A particular strength of Chinese Studies in Vienna lies in its social-scientific and historical orientation. Research and teaching combine theoretically informed analysis with a broad range of methods, including textual interpretation and archival research, fieldwork and interviews, quantitative social research, and digital methods. At the same time, modern standard Chinese is a core component of the degree programme. Visit the detailed page to learn more about the research areas of politics and law, history and society, and Chinese as a foreign language and language teaching methodology.
On the history of Chinese Studies at the University of Vienna
Administrative Office
Spitalgasse 2
1090
Wien
Room: 2F-O1-30
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+43-1-4277-43840
BA MA
Spitalgasse 2
1090
Wien
Room: 2F-O1-30
Email
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+43-1-4277-43841
BA MA
Spitalgasse 2
1090
Wien
Room: 2F-O1-30
Email
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