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Yueran Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Chicago, specializing in political economy and political sociology. Her research focuses on comparative-historical methods with an emphasis on the dynamics of capitalism and socialism, particularly in the Global South. Zhang's doctoral dissertation, tentatively titled 'Whither Socialism? Politics of Class in China’s Post-Mao Transition to Capitalism,' explores the interactions between urban industrial workers and the Party-state during the late 1970s and 1980s, providing a distinct class-political explanation for China's transition from socialism to capitalism. Her work critically examines the politics of class, democracy, and social reproduction, contributing to broader understandings of political mobilization across various contexts. In addition to her dissertation project, Zhang has published articles in prominent journals, including the 'International Review of Social History' and 'Theory and Society,' where she analyzes economic policymaking and populism. Active in academic labor organizing, she has participated in significant campaigns for unionization at her institutions. Zhang holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, obtained in 2024.
Department of Philosophy