Dr Eva Li
Lecturer in Sociology (Media and Cultural Studies Team)Profile
I am a global media and cultural researcher with research interests in fandom and audiences, East Asian popular culture, gender and sexuality, intimacy, transnational feminism, and queer Asian studies.
My research interests focus on two inter-related areas: (1) East Asian media and culture and (2) gender and sexuality, through the lens of the multi-directional flows of transnational and regional popular culture, audience participation (or non-participation), and everyday practices.
I am interested in understanding the interplay between media texts, audiences, producers, and the process of consumption and appropriation. My research aims to investigate the ways in which power operates in everyday social interactions and through structural inequality by examining both on-screen representations and lived experiences. In spite of the increasingly diverse gender and sexual representations in East Asia, I am keen to study the ways in which these visual representations have (or have not) empowered audiences, influenced individual gender and sexual practices, and transformed structural inequalities. My methods are qualitative, ethnographic, and empirical.
I am happy to supervise PhD students interested in the intersections between any of the following: gender, sexuality, and intimacy; fandom and participatory culture; transnational and Asian popular culture; queer politics and sexual citizenship.
Current Teaching
I convene the BA final year module MCS.302: Fans and Audiences in a Global Context.
Professional Role
Assistant Editor, Media, Culture & Society (2020-2022)
Associate Board Member, Sociological Research Online (2020- )
Qualifications
- PhD in Gender, Media and Culture, King’s College London, UK
- MPhil in Sociology, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Bachelor of Social Sciences (First Class Honours), University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Additional Information
Prior to joining Lancaster Sociology, I have previously held research and teaching positions at King’s College London (Department of Culture, Media and Creative Industries), University of Hong Kong (Department of Sociology), and University of Sheffield (Management School).
Fandom Studies in Hong Kong: Girls Love, Ambiguity, and Zhongxing Celebrities
Invited talk
Strategic Resistance against Gender Binaries: Chinese Women Doing Zhongxing in Hong Kong and Urban China
Invited talk
Say No to Renminbi? The Geopolitical Economy of Queer Stardom in Post-2019 Hong Kong Cantopop Industry
Invited talk
Taiwan-UK Conference on Sex, Gender and Sexuality Health Research Conference
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Chinese Women Doing Zhongxing: Strategic Resistance against Gender Binaries
Invited talk
Not just a Metaphor: Military Imagery for COVID-19 in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Beyond
Invited talk
Media, Culture and Society (Journal)
Editorial activity
Sociological Research Online (Journal)
Editorial activity
Elsevier Outstanding PhD Thesis Prize
Prize (including medals and awards)
Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
Fellowship awarded competitively
Outstanding Paper Award of the Hong Kong Studies Annual Conference
Prize (including medals and awards)
Centre for Gender Studies
- Centre for Alternatives to Social and Economic Inequalities
- Centre for Gender Studies