Dr Derek Hird

Research Overview

My research principally concerns gender and class in contemporary China, with a particular focus on middle-class masculinities. My most recent project looks at Chinese male beauty cultures. I also have an interest in happiness and mental health in Chinese populations. I analyse these topics primarily from a cultural studies perspective. Ethnographic and narrative methodologies frequently inform my data gathering and analysis.

External Roles

Co-editor of the Transnational Asian Masculinities book series (Hong Kong University Press)

East Asian Studies representative, University Council of Modern Languages, 2017-2020

PhD Supervision Interests

I welcome PhD proposals taking a cultural studies approach to topics relating to Chinese men and masculinities, Chinese transgender identities, Chinese gender identities and relations more broadly, Chinese feminist activism and theory, Chinese class identities and social stratification, health and wellbeing in Chinese populations, and Chinese language pedagogy. Topics focusing specifically on China and/or on Chinese and Sinophone populations across the globe are welcome.

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