Biography
B.A. Wesleyan University, 2022, History and Government
Advisors: Dr. Emily Baum and Dr. Jeff Wasserstrom
Dissertation title: “Small-Feet Detectives, Gossipy Aunties: A Gendered History of Grassroots Urban Governance in China, 1949 to the Present”
My dissertation examines how ordinary women shaped the governance of Beijing through their participation and leadership in the residents’ committee (居民委员会). Foregrounding gender as the main category of analysis, the project highlights older women as key political actors and investigates how their affective, informal, and gendered approach to neighborhood work – policing, surveillance, gossip, domestic mediation, etc. – transformed the dynamics of power and authority in the intermediary space between state and society. Fieldwork for this project is supported by the Esherick-Ye Foundation, the Overseas Young Chinese Forum, and the Association for Asian Studies.
In addition to my ongoing dissertation project, I am also interested in labor, social reproduction, and state feminism. Outside of academia, I enjoy long-distance running and am a slow marathoner.
Recent publication:
“Navigating the Market for Love: The Chinese Party-State as Matchmaker in the Early Reform Era.” Made in China Journal, (March 2025)