About
Research interests:
- Language and aging
- China
- Postsocialism and neoliberalism
- Anthropology of the body
- Voice and embodiment
- Language ideology
- Public oratory and performance
- Oral history
- Digital ethnography
Bio:
As a linguistic and sociocultural anthropologist, I study the relationship between language and issues of aging, well-being, and the shifting political landscapes in contemporary China. My dissertation, Accent Reduction, Active Aging, and the Medicalization of Language in Post-Socialist China, is an ethnography about the "accent training" practices that promote the state-sanctioned spoken language, Putonghua (literally "Common Speech" in Chinese). I focus on a specific age cohort (50-70) today—many of whom were dialect speakers in their youth—who draw on this idea of standard speech, and (regional) dialect accent to be reduced, in pursuit of a better life after retirement.
Outside of my academic work, I enjoy musical theater, exploring local restaurants, and spending time with my human and furry family.
