About
Diana Fu is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto, holding dual appointments in the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and the Department of Political Science. She is also a non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution, the Wilson Center, and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. Her research focuses on civil society, contentious politics, and authoritarian governance in China, with a particular emphasis on labor movements, state control mechanisms, and diaspora politics.
Dr. Fu earned her D.Phil. in Politics from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and is currently the National Co-secretary of the Rhodes Scholarship for China. She has been elected to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists. Her work bridges academic research and public engagement, including hosting the TVO documentary series China Here and Now and POLITICO China Watcher.
Her research has garnered significant acclaim, including best book awards from the American Political Science Association, American Sociological Association, and International Studies Association for her seminal work Mobilizing Without the Masses: Control and Contention in China (2018). Her recent scholarship explores the Chinese state’s global diaspora governance and evolving strategies of repression in the Xi Jinping era.
Key themes in her publications include the interplay between state surveillance and civil society resilience, the role of migrant labor in shaping Chinese politics, and transnational dimensions of authoritarian control. She frequently contributes to media outlets like Bloomberg, The New York Times, and The Economist, providing expert commentary on China’s domestic and foreign policy dynamics.
