Shanshan Lan

Dr. Shanshan Lan is a researcher affiliated with the University of Amsterdam’s Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, where she contributes to the Moving Matters programme group. Her work focuses on urban anthropology, migration patterns, and racial formations across Asia and Euro-America. She examines transnational student mobility, global cities, African diasporas in China, and Chinese diasporas in the U.S., with a particular emphasis on class dynamics and social change.

Her research employs ethnographic methods, including walking ethnography in urban environments, to explore how race and migration intersect with globalization. Notable projects include studies on African communities in Guangzhou, the role of the Catholic Church in African diasporas, and the experiences of Western entrepreneurs during the pandemic.

• Key Interests: Transnational migration, racial knowledge circulation, pandemic sociology, and global urban studies.
• Recent Focus: Whiteness studies in China, precarious migrant identities, and the impact of globalization on education and labor markets.

Lan has received recognition for her work, including the Honorary Mention of the 2006 SUNTA Graduate Student Prize. Her publications span academic journals and edited volumes, addressing topics from racial inclusion policies to transnational business networks.