Di Di
Ph.D. 2019, Sociology, Rice University
Di Di’s work explores how social institutions and individual identities are conditioned by national context, as well as by gender, ethnicity, religion, and profession. Methodologically, she uses surveys and statistical analysis to examine the broad picture, relying on personal interviews and ethnographic observations to identify specific cultural mechanisms. Her most recent project, “Contested Buddhism,” compares the operation of gender, ethnicity, and religion in two Buddhist temples, both affiliated with the same international Buddhist headquarters and practicing the same type of Buddhism but situated in distinctive national contexts: mainland China and the United States. Her next research project will continue this transnational comparative perspective but focus on another globalized institution: technology.
At Santa Clara University, she teaches Survey Research and Statistical Analysis, Immigrant Social Entrepreneurship, Diversity in Organizations and Societies, and Race and Inequality. She’s passionate about connecting her research with teaching and utilizing different methodologies to address contextualized sociological research questions.
Di Di received her bachelor’s degree at Tongji University in Shanghai, China. She’s been at Santa Clara since 2019. She looks forward to teaching and working with research students at Santa Clara University. To know more about Di Di, please refer to her website.