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I am an anthropologist and media scholar. I study how people use media to tell their stories and build connection across borders. My research brings together global communication, digital technology, and cultural anthropology to explore questions of race, gender, religion, and diaspora, especially in China and among global Sinophone communities. Through ethnographic research and public-facing scholarship, I’m interested in how media—from podcasts and digital platforms to grassroots archives—can help communities imagine more creative, caring, and hopeful futures, especially in times of political pressure and uncertainty.

I work as an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I have published in peer-reviewed journals such as New Media and Society, Made In China Journal, Media Theory, Feminist Anthropology, Asian Anthropology, Journal of Contemporary East Asia, Terrain: Anthropologie & Sciences Humaines, and Journal of Transformative Learning. Currently, I'm writing a book on the media histories and practices of Chinese Muslim communities. Moving forward, my research projects include (1) diasporic media in the global context; (2) inter-Asian flows of feminist movements; (3) women's health and media.  

Alongside academic research, I am deeply committed to public-facing and collaborative forms of knowledge production. My translated book Walter Benjamin’s Grave 本雅明之墓 (authored by Michael Taussig) was published by Peking University Press, reflecting my long-standing interest in translation as a mode of theory-building and cross-cultural dialogue. In 2020, I co-founded TyingKnots 结绳志, an independent, non-profit, volunteer-based collective dedicated to breaking down barriers between academia, media, and the public through translation projects and the cultivation of public scholarship. From September 2022 to July 2023, I also co-founded and produced the Global Media & Communication podcast series as part of a multimodal initiative supported by the Center for Advanced Research in Global Communication (CARGC) at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania. My essays, commentaries, and interviews have appeared in both academic and public outlets, including Anthropology News, Pop Junctions, Today’s Totalitarianism, Asian Review of Books, Initium, Inkstone, CNPolitics, Oriental History Review, and TyingKnots. Together, these projects reflect my commitment to engaging broader publics and experimenting with alternative formats for scholarly communication.

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