Jing Wang, Assistant Professor at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and member of Steering Committee at the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS), has been selected as a fellow for the ninth cohort of the Public Intellectuals Program. The Public Intellectuals Program (PIP) was developed to offer networking opportunities, guidance from mentors and media exposure possibilities to China specialists. The 20 fellows of the PIP’s ninth cohort join a total of 160 fellows, forming a community of accomplished academics.
“I learned about it [PIP] from a friend. He posted this fellowship opportunity on his Facebook, and I really trusted him because he’s an expert in China and Central Asia studies. So, I dig it up and find the Public Intellectuals Program really fits my own profiles as someone who is interested in both academic side of work, but also public-facing scholarship when it comes to China studies,” said Wang.
Over two years, Wang and the rest of the ninth cohort of fellows are invited to workshop events in cities such as Washington, D.C., study tours in Greater China and other opportunities to build professional relationships with academic colleagues. With experts from all study backgrounds, including health, business, art and government, fellows will gain exposure to fields they may not typically encounter.
Wang’s focus of study examines the intersection of global communication, culture and technology. She researches topics such as mass media and critical technology studies, marginalization and social justice, feminist knowledge production, and public and multimodal scholarship. Essentially, her scholarship focuses on how marginalized communities make their voices heard, and how media helps us understand past injustices and imagining a more equitable, just future for minority subjects.
“This is a great opportunity to meet with a group of very, very diverse people who are interested in US-China relationship,” said Wang., “Because I do interdisciplinary work between Anthropology and communication studies, this opens up the opportunity for me to talk to people with different perspectives and serve as a bridge to better understandthe US-China relationship nowadays, given the political environment.”
Wang’s list of accomplishments includes two book projects, founding and producing a podcast series with CNPolitics and the Center of Advanced Research in Global Communication, and founding TyingKnots 结绳志, a non-profit, volunteer-based group. Her time as a fellow with the Public Intellectuals Program opens a new window for her, however. A platform for her to create connections with policymakers, influencers and community leaders. In the future, she looks toward organizing a workshop for fellow China scholars, or to start a public-facing podcast to discuss ideas originating from the PIP.
To learn more about Wang’s work, accomplishments and teaching, visit her website.