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Linzhi Zhang has received training in various countries and is passionately pursuing her interests in sociology and art. She works at the intersection of cultural and economic sociology, adopting a cultural approach to labor studies with a focus on creative work in contemporary China. By combining qualitative and quantitative methods, her research offers a comprehensive analysis of the norms, institutions, social networks, and global capitalism that shape cultural production and labor practices in China. Her project, 'Artists Labouring Bodies: Productivist China,' funded by the British Academy from 2020 to 2024, examines artists' engagement with the demanding work culture in China and conceptualizes the notion of 'post-socialist productivism.' It explores how artists rely on the commodification of art for income while actively rebelling against the prevailing work culture. Additionally, this project investigates the socio-economic barriers to artistic careers, the gendered organization of labor, and the persistent pressures of a state-imposed work ethic, recounting the ongoing struggles of artists to maintain equitable and fulfilling creative lives within a demanding cultural landscape.
University of Cambridge • Cambridge, England
Affiliated Lecturer in the Department of Sociology specializing in the intersection of sociology and art.
Standard postgraduate requirements for Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) and related humanities departments.