Dr. Michal Zelcer-Lavid
Lecturer, Department of Asian Studies, Bar-Ilan University
Dr. Michal Zelcer-Lavid is a scholar and lecturer specializing in modern China, ethnic minorities and identities in China, with particular emphasis on Uyghur and Tibetan society and culture. Her research focuses on the intersections of ethnic identity, nationalism, literature, and culture, as well as on China’s relations with the Middle East and Israel.
Academic Background
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Central Asian Studies, Humboldt University of Berlin, 2016–2017
Academic advisor: Prof. Antoni Huber.
Ph.D. in East Asian Studies, University of Haifa, 2014
Dissertation: Written Identity: Ethno-nationalism in Uyghur and Tibetan Contemporary Literature
Supervisors: Dr. Nimrod Baranovitch and Prof. Yitzhak Shichor.
M.A. Studies in East Asian Studies, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2002
B.A. in East Asian Studies (Magna Cum Laude); Sociology and Anthropology, Tel Aviv University, 2000
Chinese Language Studies
Yunnan University, China, 2004
Beijing Language and Culture University, China, 2001
Selected Courses Taught
China in the Twentieth Century: From Empire to Global Power
Culture, Politics, and Ethnicity in Modern China
Ethnic Conflicts in Asia
Protest and Revolution in Modern China
Scholars, Emperors, and Concubines: Introduction to Chinese Culture
Tibet: Religion, History, and Nationalism
Academic Writing
Selected Grants and Awards
Academy of Korean Studies Seed Program for Korean Studies, 2023–2025
Grant for the development of Korean Studies at Bar-Ilan University, jointly with Dr. Alon Levkowitz.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2023
Research grant.
Advanced Studies Scholarship for Research Students, University of Haifa, 2004–2007
Teaching Excellence Awards
Bar-Ilan University, 2010; Sapir College, 2014 and 2016.
Languages: Hebrew, English, and Chinese