Q Forrest Zhang

Q Forrest Zhang is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Lee Kong Chian Fellow at Singapore Management University's School of Social Sciences, serving as Associate Dean for Research. He holds a PhD in Sociology (Yale University, 2004), MA in Urban Geography (University of Georgia, 1998), and BS in Management Information Systems (Fudan University, 1995). His research focuses on China’s agrarian political economy, rural development, and contemporary social issues, including self-employment, inequality, and family dynamics. He has been recognized with the 2015 Bernstein & Byres Prize for contributions to agrarian change studies.

Research interests center on agrarian capitalism, rural transition, industrial agriculture, and farmers' cooperatives. His work examines how structural changes in rural China influence social mobility, land politics, and economic sustainability. Recent studies analyze resilience in agrarian systems during crises like the pandemic and explore alternative food networks’ roles in rural revitalization.

Publications span diverse topics including agricultural modernization, land commodification, and state policies shaping rural-urban divides. He critiques conventional 'middle class' paradigms, emphasizing class differentiation and stratification dynamics in China’s evolving socio-economic landscape.