Until recently I taught Chinese studies at the University of Hamburg, with a strong focus on cultural and religious history. As of October 2024 I have retired as a result of reaching the mandatory age limit (this is not the USA). Although first of all a social and cultural historian, the religious dimension is so central to Chinese traditional life that much of my research up to now has dealt with religious phenomena. In addition, I worked extensively on issues of ethnic identity, violence and fear, and social organization. Throughout I am interested in the role of oral and written forms of communication, including classicist texts, but not in a normative way, Instead, written culture, like oral culture, must be studied as a social practice, with due attention, for instance, to historical changes, social and gender differences, interpretation and performance, and so on. An important concern of mine is to demonstrate that traditional culture and cultural patterns are still relevant today, as becomes visible for instance in the case of the Falun Gong or the ongoing role of violence in political contexts throughout the twentieth century.

For those (few) who want to know, I have uploaded a brief description of the way in which I got to do my various research topics over the years here (my Werdegang as it were).

For those who read Dutch I have published a history of China, entitled Het Hemels Mandaat: De Geschiedenis van het Chinese Keizerrijk (AUP: Amsterdam, 2018 revised fourth edition) (English: The Heavenly Mandate: The history of the Chinese Empire until 1911) with a somewhat revisionist interpretation of the Chinese past. My book on the lay Buddhist group called the Non-Action Teachings (late 16th century to the present) came out in 2014 with Hawai'i University Press, as Practicing Scripture: A Lay Buddhist Movement in Late Imperial China. My book on Guan Yu came out in 2017 with Oxford University Press, as Guan Yu: The Religious Afterlife of a Failed Hero . A little book has come out with Cambridge University Press as well, with the title Religious Culture and Violence in Traditional China. My newest book entitled The fear of witchcraft and witches in imperial China: Figurines, familiars and demons has now appeared (January 2025). Furthermore, I am preparing a book project on the social history of paper as well as a detailed social history of religious culture in traditional China.

Due to my retirement, I no longer accept graduate students (no time) or academic visitors (since I am no longer affiliated with a university to enable me to serve as a host).

My email address remains barend.ter.haar@uni-hamburg.de for now. Should it suddenly go out of use, you can contact me at bjterhaaAFFENKLAMMERxs4all.nl (this address is also fully functional). Affenklammer is the nice German expression for @. My website will remain active for now as long as I am fit enough to maintain it (somewhat).

My new snailmail address:
Beukenrode 274
2215 JR Voorhout
the Netherlands

Mail that probably does not fit through the normal mailopening (such as kingsize books and packages) should be sent to the following address:

Barend J. ter Haar c/o Claire ter Haar
Blesboklaan 2 A
1217 GJ Hilversum
the Netherlands
PS do not forget the A after the 2! Postpersons find it very difficult to deliver mail to the right address. My mum will be happy, since it is another reason for me to visit her.