Dr. Sophia Geng is the James and Margaret Tseng Loe Chair for China Studies and directs the James and Margaret Tseng Loe Center for China Studies at Saint Vincent College.
Geng’s academic interests lie in oral history, cultural heritage studies, diaspora studies, and Chinese literature and culture. She has been recognized internationally for her teaching excellence and promotion of the cultural heritage of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). Geng has worked with community organizations to capture the voices and stories of AAPI communities and has shared her experiences at numerous conferences and workshops.
From 2020 to 2024, Geng has served on the board of directors of ASIANetwork, a consortium of about 150 North American colleges and universities, which promotes education about Asia within the liberal arts. She also served as chair of its board of directors from 2022 to 2023. Geng initiated ASIANetwork’s “AAPI Voices and Stories,” a digital storytelling project funded by a three-year, $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation, and is one of its key leaders.
Geng previously was a professor of China studies at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University (CSBSJU) in Minnesota. She was director of the Asian Studies Program from 2014-17 and received CSBSJU’s Robert Spaeth Professor of Distinction Award, Glocal (global and local) Leadership Award, and Academic Advising Award.
Geng has published on topics of oral history studies, cultural heritage, memories of World War II, and diaspora across the Pacific Ocean. She is a creative writer and published author of short stories, and enjoys biking, singing Chinese folk songs, and writing Chinese calligraphy. A “happy hour” for her is having an intriguing conversation with curious minds while sipping a cup of freshly made tea.
Education
PhD, Philosophy, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MA, Beijing Foreign Studies University (Beijing Wai Yu Xue Yuan)-Beijing, China BA, Shandong Teachers’ University (Shandong Shi Fan Da Xue)-Jinan, China
Courses
Chinese and Chinese American Folklore, Legends, and Mythology Introduction to Chinese Arts Chinese American History Listening Seminar
Selected Publications
Geng, Zhihui Sophia. Review of Ways of Confucius and of Christ: From Prime Minister of China to Benedictine Monk, by Dom Pierre-Célestin Lu, O.S.B. Conversatio: A Journal in the Tradition of Catholic, Benedictine, and Liberal Education 4, (2024): 79-82.
Geng, Zhihui Sophia. “All Men Are Brothers: Pearl S. Buck’s Translation of Shui Hu Zhuan and its Effects on Her Writing Career.” CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 26, No.1, (2024). https://doi.org/10.7771/1481-4374.3930.
Geng, Zhihui Sophia and Aubrey Immelman. “The Personality Profile of Nobel Laureate Pearl Buck.” American Review of China Studies 25, No.1, (2024): 65-95.
Geng, Zhihui Sophia. Review of Power of Freedom: Hu Shih’s Political Writings, by Chih-p’ing Chou and Carlos Yu-Kai Lin. American Review of China Studies 24, No. 2, (2023): 92-94.
