Dr Yuchen Yang
@dr-yang.bsky.social
Assistant Professor in Sociology at University of Birmingham | UChicago PhD '24 | UC Berkeley BA '17 | interactionist scholar of gender, sexualities, culture, semiotics, and childhood | friend of EMCA who stumbled into linguistic anthropology
Pinned
Dr Yuchen Yang
@dr-yang.bsky.social
· Sep 11
After 3 years, 14 drafts, and 3 paper awards, I finally published this paper on the semiotics of (un)doing gender in my favorite journal—Sociological Theory! @sociologicaltheory.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1177/0735...
doi.org/10.1177/0735...
Reposted by Dr Yuchen Yang
Today marks one year since the tragic loss of Michael Burawoy, ISA President (2010-2014).
In his memory, we have compiled an e-book based on the commemorative online session held last February, preserving the messages, stories, and photos contributed by participants.
In his memory, we have compiled an e-book based on the commemorative online session held last February, preserving the messages, stories, and photos contributed by participants.
February 3, 2026 at 2:38 PM
Today marks one year since the tragic loss of Michael Burawoy, ISA President (2010-2014).
In his memory, we have compiled an e-book based on the commemorative online session held last February, preserving the messages, stories, and photos contributed by participants.
In his memory, we have compiled an e-book based on the commemorative online session held last February, preserving the messages, stories, and photos contributed by participants.
We kicked off our first session today with a chapter from John Lie's 2018 book, The Dream of East Asia. And we had such a very lively discussion about why it's problematic to use the so-called "Confucian tradition" to explain contemporary phenomena in China (and East Asia more broadly)!
10 years ago, I, along with my friends at the Datong Society of China Studies at Berkeley, designed & taught a student-led DECal course on Chinese society as undergrads. This semester, I'm starting a Sociology of China Reading Group for my students at @birminghamschool.bsky.social. How time flies!
January 22, 2026 at 10:55 PM
We kicked off our first session today with a chapter from John Lie's 2018 book, The Dream of East Asia. And we had such a very lively discussion about why it's problematic to use the so-called "Confucian tradition" to explain contemporary phenomena in China (and East Asia more broadly)!
10 years ago, I, along with my friends at the Datong Society of China Studies at Berkeley, designed & taught a student-led DECal course on Chinese society as undergrads. This semester, I'm starting a Sociology of China Reading Group for my students at @birminghamschool.bsky.social. How time flies!
January 22, 2026 at 10:45 PM
10 years ago, I, along with my friends at the Datong Society of China Studies at Berkeley, designed & taught a student-led DECal course on Chinese society as undergrads. This semester, I'm starting a Sociology of China Reading Group for my students at @birminghamschool.bsky.social. How time flies!
Went to the cafe and hotel that appeared in K-On! The Movie! (2011) while I was in London for my birthday 😊 #KOn #animepilgrimage
December 28, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Went to the cafe and hotel that appeared in K-On! The Movie! (2011) while I was in London for my birthday 😊 #KOn #animepilgrimage
Reposted by Dr Yuchen Yang
Abductive logic (as opposed to inductive or deductive) is the truly human mode of discovering and making meaning from qualitative data.
This thread perfectly explains why AI has little value for qualitative research.
Yes, large language models can find patterns in qualitative data. But, they're trained on what we already know. So, they won't find anything surprising. And, surprise is qualitative research's primary value-add.
Yes, large language models can find patterns in qualitative data. But, they're trained on what we already know. So, they won't find anything surprising. And, surprise is qualitative research's primary value-add.
Absolutely right.
AI might be able to summarize (poorly) what we currently know, but a major goal of historical research is to find the hidden surprises out there.
Let me illustrate …
AI might be able to summarize (poorly) what we currently know, but a major goal of historical research is to find the hidden surprises out there.
Let me illustrate …
December 24, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Abductive logic (as opposed to inductive or deductive) is the truly human mode of discovering and making meaning from qualitative data.
New podcast on my "Gender Uptake" article in @sociologicaltheory.bsky.social! Very excited to have this opportunity to talk about the conceptual development and theoretical/methodological intervention of this paper 🤩
#theory #sociology #genderstudies
sagesociology.libsyn.com/sociological...
#theory #sociology #genderstudies
sagesociology.libsyn.com/sociological...
Sage Sociology: Sociological Theory - Gender Uptake: Theorizing the Semiotics of (Un)Doing Gender
Author Yuchen Yang discusses the article "," published in the December 2025 issue of Sociological Theory.
sagesociology.libsyn.com
December 22, 2025 at 12:17 PM
New podcast on my "Gender Uptake" article in @sociologicaltheory.bsky.social! Very excited to have this opportunity to talk about the conceptual development and theoretical/methodological intervention of this paper 🤩
#theory #sociology #genderstudies
sagesociology.libsyn.com/sociological...
#theory #sociology #genderstudies
sagesociology.libsyn.com/sociological...
Reposted by Dr Yuchen Yang
If you care about your students, ban digital devices in your classroom. Contrary to what some might think, it's easier now than ever. Students call time on screens "Rotting."
#CulturalTailWinds #EvenStudentsWantThis #Attentionism
#Ai #screens #digitaldevices #pedagogy #highered
#CulturalTailWinds #EvenStudentsWantThis #Attentionism
#Ai #screens #digitaldevices #pedagogy #highered
Opinion | What Happened When My Yale Students Gave Up Their Phones for Four Weeks
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 5:50 PM
If you care about your students, ban digital devices in your classroom. Contrary to what some might think, it's easier now than ever. Students call time on screens "Rotting."
#CulturalTailWinds #EvenStudentsWantThis #Attentionism
#Ai #screens #digitaldevices #pedagogy #highered
#CulturalTailWinds #EvenStudentsWantThis #Attentionism
#Ai #screens #digitaldevices #pedagogy #highered
I guess it's worth redesigning this module from scratch even though I did not get the proper workload allocation 🥺
December 12, 2025 at 4:43 PM
I guess it's worth redesigning this module from scratch even though I did not get the proper workload allocation 🥺
After 3 semesters, I finally taught a module that I'm satisfied with! In redesigning this module, I made a deliberate effort to cultivate core academic skills, and now many of my 1st-year students in the module are doing WAY BETTER than our current 3rd years!
December 12, 2025 at 4:43 PM
After 3 semesters, I finally taught a module that I'm satisfied with! In redesigning this module, I made a deliberate effort to cultivate core academic skills, and now many of my 1st-year students in the module are doing WAY BETTER than our current 3rd years!
Reposted by Dr Yuchen Yang
Today we published a report on public understanding & attitudes to #irregularmigration in the UK.
this is my a one-line summary:
strong opinions, wrong facts.
But there is so much more to it. Ultimately the picture is much more nuanced and complex...
i-claim.eu/project/publ...
this is my a one-line summary:
strong opinions, wrong facts.
But there is so much more to it. Ultimately the picture is much more nuanced and complex...
i-claim.eu/project/publ...
Public understanding and attitudes to irregular migration in the UK - I-CLAIM
This report summarises findings from the February 2025 I-CLAIM survey of 1,147 UK adults, exploring public knowledge of irregular migration, how people define it, and their attitudes toward irregular ...
i-claim.eu
December 11, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Today we published a report on public understanding & attitudes to #irregularmigration in the UK.
this is my a one-line summary:
strong opinions, wrong facts.
But there is so much more to it. Ultimately the picture is much more nuanced and complex...
i-claim.eu/project/publ...
this is my a one-line summary:
strong opinions, wrong facts.
But there is so much more to it. Ultimately the picture is much more nuanced and complex...
i-claim.eu/project/publ...
December 6, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Reposted by Dr Yuchen Yang
New paper out in The British Journal of Sociology!🎉 @lsesociology.bsky.social
Based on my doctoral research on young carers in China, we explore children’s emotional labour and the moral tensions that shape their everyday caregiving experiences.
🔗 Open access: doi.org/10.1111/1468...
Based on my doctoral research on young carers in China, we explore children’s emotional labour and the moral tensions that shape their everyday caregiving experiences.
🔗 Open access: doi.org/10.1111/1468...
November 30, 2025 at 5:20 AM
New paper out in The British Journal of Sociology!🎉 @lsesociology.bsky.social
Based on my doctoral research on young carers in China, we explore children’s emotional labour and the moral tensions that shape their everyday caregiving experiences.
🔗 Open access: doi.org/10.1111/1468...
Based on my doctoral research on young carers in China, we explore children’s emotional labour and the moral tensions that shape their everyday caregiving experiences.
🔗 Open access: doi.org/10.1111/1468...
But on a side note, the Smith/Hoang pairing comes from my answer to my Theory Prelim Exam 7 years ago, for which we were asked to pair a theorist we learned in our History of Social Theory class and put it into dialogue with a UChicago faculty whose work we also read in that class!
November 29, 2025 at 5:48 PM
But on a side note, the Smith/Hoang pairing comes from my answer to my Theory Prelim Exam 7 years ago, for which we were asked to pair a theorist we learned in our History of Social Theory class and put it into dialogue with a UChicago faculty whose work we also read in that class!
It's probably not a coincident that all of the core readings are connected to Berkeley in some way . . .
November 29, 2025 at 5:47 PM
It's probably not a coincident that all of the core readings are connected to Berkeley in some way . . .
In Week 10, we will wrap up the module by considering methods that help us attend to the connection between the "micro" and the "macro." We will compare Burawoy's Extended Case Method with Smith's Institutional Ethnography, and then zoom into Hoang's ethnography of global sex work as an example.
November 29, 2025 at 5:39 PM
In Week 10, we will wrap up the module by considering methods that help us attend to the connection between the "micro" and the "macro." We will compare Burawoy's Extended Case Method with Smith's Institutional Ethnography, and then zoom into Hoang's ethnography of global sex work as an example.
November 28, 2025 at 8:45 PM
So interesting!!!
Baby names aren’t just personal choices; they reflect culture, geography, gender, identity, and as i've been investigating, politics too. I’ve been analyzing 50 years of U.S. baby naming to see how they map onto political polarization in the U.S.
Here’s what I found 🧵
Here’s what I found 🧵
November 24, 2025 at 10:26 PM
So interesting!!!
In Week 9, we'll examine what happens when a puzzling "surprise" happens in everyday interaction. I shamelessly assigned my own article on feminist parents' accounts for their kids' *gender-stereotypical interests* and paired it with Chase Raymond's article on "Category Accounts."
November 22, 2025 at 10:19 PM
In Week 9, we'll examine what happens when a puzzling "surprise" happens in everyday interaction. I shamelessly assigned my own article on feminist parents' accounts for their kids' *gender-stereotypical interests* and paired it with Chase Raymond's article on "Category Accounts."
Happening soon!!!
Join us on Friday for the next talk in our How to Write and Publish Theory series, featuring Dr. Yuchen Yang (@dr-yang.bsky.social) on the development and publication of his award-winning ST article, “Gender Uptake: Theorizing the Semiotics of (Un)Doing Gender.”
Sign up: ucla.zoom.us/j/91370822602
Sign up: ucla.zoom.us/j/91370822602
🔔 How to Write Theory with Dr. Yuchen Yang
On Nov 21st, Dr Yang (@dr-yang.bsky.social) will share the backstory of his article, "Gender Uptake: Theorizing the Semiotics of (Un)Doing Gender", which received the 2025 Junior Theorist Award.
Please sign up at this Zoom link: ucla.zoom.us/j/91370822602
On Nov 21st, Dr Yang (@dr-yang.bsky.social) will share the backstory of his article, "Gender Uptake: Theorizing the Semiotics of (Un)Doing Gender", which received the 2025 Junior Theorist Award.
Please sign up at this Zoom link: ucla.zoom.us/j/91370822602
November 21, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Happening soon!!!
Almost cried during course prepping 😭😭😭
November 20, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Almost cried during course prepping 😭😭😭
Reposted by Dr Yuchen Yang
New paper out in Qualitative Inquiry! 🎉
In this study, we explore power relations between researchers from elite institutions & participants often seen as ‘vulnerable’, proposing a framework for ethical reflection.
📖 Open Access here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
In this study, we explore power relations between researchers from elite institutions & participants often seen as ‘vulnerable’, proposing a framework for ethical reflection.
📖 Open Access here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
November 20, 2025 at 7:15 AM
New paper out in Qualitative Inquiry! 🎉
In this study, we explore power relations between researchers from elite institutions & participants often seen as ‘vulnerable’, proposing a framework for ethical reflection.
📖 Open Access here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
In this study, we explore power relations between researchers from elite institutions & participants often seen as ‘vulnerable’, proposing a framework for ethical reflection.
📖 Open Access here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Congratulations!!! 🎉🎉🎉
November 20, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Congratulations!!! 🎉🎉🎉
Reposted by Dr Yuchen Yang
Join us on Friday for the next talk in our How to Write and Publish Theory series, featuring Dr. Yuchen Yang (@dr-yang.bsky.social) on the development and publication of his award-winning ST article, “Gender Uptake: Theorizing the Semiotics of (Un)Doing Gender.”
Sign up: ucla.zoom.us/j/91370822602
Sign up: ucla.zoom.us/j/91370822602
🔔 How to Write Theory with Dr. Yuchen Yang
On Nov 21st, Dr Yang (@dr-yang.bsky.social) will share the backstory of his article, "Gender Uptake: Theorizing the Semiotics of (Un)Doing Gender", which received the 2025 Junior Theorist Award.
Please sign up at this Zoom link: ucla.zoom.us/j/91370822602
On Nov 21st, Dr Yang (@dr-yang.bsky.social) will share the backstory of his article, "Gender Uptake: Theorizing the Semiotics of (Un)Doing Gender", which received the 2025 Junior Theorist Award.
Please sign up at this Zoom link: ucla.zoom.us/j/91370822602
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: How to Write Theory with Yuchen Yang . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: How to Write Theory with Yuchen Yang . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
ucla.zoom.us
November 19, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Join us on Friday for the next talk in our How to Write and Publish Theory series, featuring Dr. Yuchen Yang (@dr-yang.bsky.social) on the development and publication of his award-winning ST article, “Gender Uptake: Theorizing the Semiotics of (Un)Doing Gender.”
Sign up: ucla.zoom.us/j/91370822602
Sign up: ucla.zoom.us/j/91370822602
As a big fan of Japanese anime, I believe animation theory is one of the most exciting theories that emerged in the social sciences in the last two decades, although it can be traced back to Goffman. I've tried to engage with it in my article on gender-crossing cosplay: doi.org/10.1186/s407...
The art worlds of gender performance: cosplay, embodiment, and the collective accomplishment of gender - The Journal of Chinese Sociology
In recent years, cosplay has gained global visibility as a performing art in which fans dress up as fictional characters from anime, comics/manga, or games. Although scholars contend that cosplay exem...
doi.org
November 16, 2025 at 10:25 PM
As a big fan of Japanese anime, I believe animation theory is one of the most exciting theories that emerged in the social sciences in the last two decades, although it can be traced back to Goffman. I've tried to engage with it in my article on gender-crossing cosplay: doi.org/10.1186/s407...