Davin Luce

I am intrigued by the idea of multiple histories. In this research cluster I would like to explore approaches and methodologies used by scholars across the humanities who write alternate, forgotten, or ignored histories, especially as it relates to marginalized groups. Questions I like to consider are: how are histories
written? who wrote them? who were they written for? and most importantly, who is absent from these narratives? How can we write histories of people whom
did not write about themselves? How can we build a productive historical narrative through connecting the ‘silences’ in dominant discourse? What
do contemporaneous writings on these marginalized peoples tell us about them? What does modern scholarship tell us about current and historical bias about
certain groups? How do conceptions of gender play into how histories are written and disseminated across time? With these questions and interests in
mind, I believe I can contribute to Strand 2: Representing the Past in a meaningful way. I also have interest in exploring Strand 1: (Re)claiming/disputing the past.

RESEARCH BIO: My research interests surround the visual culture of Middle Period China (10-14th centuries). More specifically, I am interested in how
eunuchs (castrated male individuals who served imperial and aristocratic families) influenced the production, collection, and reception of art works.
I use social and political histories to inform my research in order to contextualize and ground my research in contemporaneous understandings. I
hope that by exploring the connection between eunuchs within China and the production of visual culture, I will be able to further illuminate an aspect
of Middle Period Chinese history that has yet to seriously considered through this ‘alternate’ historical lens.