Zepeng Zhou
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zepengzhou.bsky.social
Zepeng Zhou
@zepengzhou.bsky.social
58 followers 75 following 1 posts
PhD student in sociology at Emory University. Studying digital technology, creative labor and political economy in transnational contexts.
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zepengzhou.bsky.social
This is incredibly important and timely work! Can’t wait to read it and reflect on my own experience as an international student 📖👓
weirongguo.bsky.social Weirong Guo @weirongguo.bsky.social · Sep 3
Excited to share that a chapter from my dissertation on political avoidance among migrants has just been published in Social Forces. doi.org/10.1093/sf/s.... I’ve had the honor of receiving tremendously helpful feedback from many people and engaging with the work of many scholars I deeply admire.
Echoes of silence: how student migrants navigate political taboos across borders
Abstract. People migrate from authoritarian to democratic regimes seeking greater freedom of expression, yet many continue to avoid politics in their host
academic.oup.com
September 4, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Reposted by Zepeng Zhou
weirongguo.bsky.social
Received two paper acceptances in June: a solo-author article in Social Problems and an equal-author article in Ethnic & Racial Studies, both based on my dissertation research. Thanks to Harvard Weatherhead Scholars Program for a highly productive year. Watch for these papers when they’re published!
From Engagement to Detachment: Divergent Cosmopolitanisms Among Transnational Chinese Students Abstract What does it mean to be cosmopolitan, or a global citizen? Often perceived as a privileged state of cultural consumption and mobility, cosmopolitanism in sociological discourse is frequently critiqued as a new form of social stratification and discussed in relation to nationalism. This paper reconceptualizes cosmopolitanism by foregrounding its moral and affective dimensions, framing it as both an ethical, deliberate practice and a forced adaptation to structural constraints. Drawing on interviews with 60 Chinese international students in the United States, I identify two distinct forms: activist cosmopolitanism, marked by “hot” moral engagement, global awareness, and collective activism; and cynical cosmopolitanism, characterized by a “cool” global orientation that emphasizes individual autonomy, skepticism, and emotional detachment. Both emerge from shared experiences of liberal arts education, community engagement, and relational assimilation, but diverge in response to discrimination, residential mobility, and gendered adversity across the sending and receiving contexts, with consequences for mental health. Lacking communal support, cynical cosmopolitans adopt individualist coping strategies and may develop a stance of “non-identity” as a protective mechanism. This study challenges dominant views of cosmopolitanism as either elite capital or a natural outcome of mobility. It highlights how privileged Chinese students can cultivate cosmopolitan commitments that extend beyond maintaining class status, offering new insights into their potential contributions to global social change. Keywords: cosmopolitanism; Chinese international students; discrimination; identity formation; mental health; transnationalism Privilege or Marginalization: How Chinese Youth from Divergent Class Backgrounds Make Sense of Racism in the U.S. and Australia Abstract: This study examines how Chinese youth in the U.S. and Australia perceive and respond to racism as temporary migrants, focusing on the influence of pre-migration class positions and host-country contexts. Based on interviews with 60 Chinese students in the U.S. and 45 working holiday makers in Australia, we find that U.S.-based students, primarily from urban, upper-middle-class backgrounds, experience status shock as they encounter systemic racial hierarchies and institutional barriers, fostering heightened sensitivity to racism and strong racial consciousness. Conversely, working holiday makers, largely from rural or economically disadvantaged areas, experience status uplift and a sense of empowerment. Viewing multiculturalism and mobility opportunities in Australia as an improvement over class-based discrimination in China, they tend to normalize or downplay racism. These contrasting responses are further shaped by each country’s immigration policies and labor markets. This study advances racialization research through a comparative, intersectional approach to Chinese diasporas. Keywords: class, intersectionality, overseas Chinese youth, racialization, racism, transnational migration
June 10, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Reposted by Zepeng Zhou
bshestakofsky.bsky.social
The sudden and tragic loss of Michael Burawoy is devastating beyond words. A peerless scholar, mentor, teacher, activist, and friend, with a wry wit and an enormous heart. The only consolation is that he brought so many of us together, an extended family of kin who strive to carry on his legacy.
February 5, 2025 at 1:07 AM