About
Zhuo Ban is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication, Film, & Media Studies at the University of Cincinnati, conducting critical global research on Organizational Communication and Public Relations with focus areas including globalized supply chains, offshore labor politics, and corporate social responsibility discourses. Her work has been published in leading journals such as Organization and Management Communication Quarterly.
Her educational background includes:
- PhD in Communication, Purdue University, 2012
- MA in Communication, Tsinghua University, 2008
Dr. Ban's research critically interrogates three interconnected domains: Activism and Resistance through culture-centered reinvigoration of theoretical models; Globalization and Marginalization by challenging functional rationality in public relations scholarship; and US-China Offshoring Dynamics analyzing corporate constructions of China's business environment. She employs discourse analysis to examine power structures in contexts ranging from Chinese house churches to breastfeeding discourse in cyberspace.
Her publication portfolio reveals consistent engagement with labor politics and discursive constructions of power, evidenced by recurring themes across 12 recent works including migrant labor discourse in China, fair wage negotiations, and Orientalist representations in U.S. news media. Key methodological approaches involve culture-centered analysis and critical discourse frameworks applied to corporate communications and identity formation in Chinese contexts.
Dr. Ban actively contributes to academic governance through membership in the Research Working Group, LEAF team, Graduate Admission Committee, Educator Faculty Search Committee, and Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She also serves as reviewer for Communication, Culture and Critique, Environmental Communication, and Health Communication, while teaching undergraduate courses in PR Research and PR Campaigns alongside graduate seminars in Public Relations and Issue Management.
