AREAS OF INTEREST
I am deeply drawn to the "aha" moments of discovery—the realization that seemingly mundane acts, such as greeting a friend, brushing one’s teeth, or washing a dish, can be performed in an infinite variety of ways. These instances, where assumptions of universality are overturned, continually inspire me and challenge my understanding of the everyday.
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Reflecting on the body of work I have created over the past decade, certain themes emerge. I am particularly fascinated by individuals' family histories and social worlds, especially the ways in which people navigate and circumvent social norms to fulfill their desires. Whether seeking love, intimacy, or social acceptance, humans consistently find inventive and resourceful ways to achieve their goals.
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My research focuses primarily on families: how we define them, the legal frameworks that sustain them, the dynamics within them, and the strategies we employ to create them. I am especially intrigued by men's relationships to their families and how the implicit expectations of masculinity shape, complicate, and at times constrain these bonds.
MASCULINITY
The central thread uniting my work is a focus on men. From truck drivers grappling with the loneliness on the road, distanced from families, to rural-to-urban Chinese men navigating the challenges of finding brides, I am intrigued by how men perform masculinity and how these performances intersect with familial expectations. My upbringing in a small farming village in rural America, as well as my relationships with my blue-collar biological father and my (late) white-collar stepfather, have profoundly shaped my perspective. As a member of both families, I witnessed two contrasting conceptions of masculinity. My immigrant stepfather, who prioritized educational achievement and financial provision, embodied characteristics akin to the Chinese concept of wen (cultured/learned masculinity). In contrast, my biological father, who valued physical skill and manual labor, reflected traits associated with wu (physical masculinity). In the context of China, my research examines how "leftover men" (shengnan) navigate and mobilize these dual forms of masculinity (wen and wu) in their pursuit of a suitable marriage partner. I explore how their understandings of masculinity are deeply tied to their ability to form a family, revealing the ways in which cultural and social expectations shape their gendered performances and personal aspirations.​
QUEER KINSHIP
My interest in non-normative families is deeply rooted in my own identity as a pansexual, non-monogamous individual and as a child of a multicultural, blended family. Growing up in a context shaped by multiple marriages, siblings with varying degrees of biological relatedness, and significant age differences has profoundly influenced my perspective.
Academically, this is reflected in my research on how individuals construct families and the role of friendship in kin-making. I explore how people label and validate relationships with those who are not related by blood or marriage, as well as the systems in place to uphold and honor these connections. In the context of China, a society grounded in Confucian values of lineage and ancestor veneration, I am particularly interested in how individuals who either choose not to or are unable to produce biological descendants create a sense of legacy through non-kin relationships. This work interrogates the boundaries of kinship and the innovative ways individuals forge meaningful and enduring ties outside traditional frameworks.
SINGLEHOOD
As with my other research interests, my focus on singlehood is deeply informed by my own experience as a single, never-married woman. Building on the burgeoning subfield of single studies, my work, much like my interest in queering categories of kinship, investigates how individuals who pursue non-normative life trajectories navigate paths that diverge from societal expectations of marriage, parenthood, and grandparenthood. These life courses challenge the conventional milestones that many societies regard as essential markers of adulthood and success.
While much of the existing research in this field centers on women choosing not to marry, or men in a state of "waithood" (not married YET), my work shifts attention to men who will likely never marry —whether by choice or due to structural and societal constraints. By examining their experiences, I aim to deepen our understanding of how singlehood is negotiated, understood, and lived, particularly among those whose status challenges cultural norms and expectations of masculinity and familial roles.​​