Gregory Smits
Professor of History and Asian Studies
211 Weaver Building
University Park, PA 16802
Curriculum Vitae:
Education:
PhD, University of Southern California
MA, University of Hawaii
BA, University of Florida
Biography:
I have conducted research on a variety of topics and time periods. What they all have in common is a connection to Japan, broadly defined. Past research topics include Confucianism, political economy, earthquakes, volcanoes, seismology, maritime networks, technology, and environmental history. My current research focuses on the Ryukyu Islands, about which I am writing a series of books.
Recent Publications:
The Ryukyu Islands: A New History from the Stone Age to the Present. December 2025. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226843193
Early Ryukyuan History: A New Model. University of Hawaiʻi Press. July 2024. ISBN 9780824897635.
“Earthquakes in Historical Context.” In De-Min Tao and Gary P. Leupp, eds., The Tokugawa World (Routledge, 2021): 99-116.
Maritime Ryukyu, 1050-1650. January 2019. University of Hawaiʻi Press, January 2019. ISBN 9780824873370 (Paperback, February 29, 2020, ISBN 9780824884277).