Faculty Profile

Dr Qian Forrest Zhang joined Singapore Management University in 2005. He completed his undergraduate training at Fudan University in Shanghai and obtained a PhD in sociology from Yale University in 2004. His research focuses on China’s agrarian political economy and rural development but extends to a range of other issues in contemporary China, including self-employment, stratification and inequality, social mobility, and family relations. His recent works have investigated the agrarian capitalist class, land politics, agroecological transitions, and sustainable agri-food alternatives. He is the recipient of the 2015 Bernstein & Byres Prize in agrarian change. He also serves as Editor of the Journal of Agrarian Change.

Qualifications

• PhD in Sociology, Yale University, 2004
• MA in Urban Geography, University of Georgia, 1998
• BS in Management Information System, Fudan University, 1995

Research Interests

• Agrarian political economy
• Social class
• Family and social mobility
• Self-employment and informal economy
• Contemporary chinese society

Course(s) Taught in SMU

• Understanding China’s Economic Miracle: Social Origins and Social Impact
• Sociology Study Mission