معرفی
Xine Yao is an Associate Professor in the Department of English Language & Literature at University College London (UCL), where she specializes in early and nineteenth-century American literature through the lenses of affect theory, critical race and ethnic studies, critical disability studies, and trans, feminist, and queer of colour theory. She is co-director of qUCL, the queer studies network at UCL, and serves as an elected member of the Executive Committee of the LLC 19th-Century American Forum for the Modern Language Association (2024-2029).
Dr. Yao's educational background includes:
- B.A. from Trinity College at the University of Toronto
- M.A. from Dalhousie University
- M.A. from Cornell University
- Ph.D. from Cornell University
Her research explores the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and disability in American literary history, with particular focus on the racial and sexual politics of unfeeling. She is renowned as the "edgelord of affect studies" for her groundbreaking work in this area. Dr. Yao's scholarship examines solidarity and comparative racialization between Black, Asian, and Indigenous peoples, while also engaging with histories of science and law, literatures from the Black and Asian diasporas, speculative fiction, and comics/graphic novels. Her work is deeply committed to social justice, as evidenced by her BBC Radio 3/AHRC New Generation Thinker designation and her involvement in various academic organizations focused on equity and inclusion.
Dr. Yao's publications reveal a consistent focus on affect theory and racial politics within nineteenth-century American literature, while increasingly expanding into contemporary applications and diasporic studies. Her work bridges historical analysis with current social justice concerns, particularly regarding gender, race, and disability. Recent publications show growing engagement with Asian American literary history, comparative racialization studies, and the politics of representation across multiple media forms.
Dr. Yao has received numerous prestigious awards for her scholarship:
- Robert K Martin Book Prize from the Canadian Association of American Studies
- Duke University Press's Scholars of Color First Book Award
- Arthur Miller First Book Prize Honourable Mention from the British Association of American Studies
- University English Book Prize Shortlist
- Chancellor's Gold Medal for the Arts from Trinity College at the University of Toronto
- Highly Commended Award for the Provost's Award for Embedding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at University College London
As a mentor, Dr. Yao takes a thoughtful approach to PhD supervision, emphasizing the importance of considering the state of higher education and academic job markets, personal and financial costs of doctoral study, and the necessity of disciplinary fit. She has held leadership positions in several academic organizations including the Executive Committee of C19: The Society of Nineteenth-Century Americanists (2020-2022) and served as founding chair of their podcast initiative (2017-2019). She was co-host of the PhDivas podcast (2015-2021), which explored academia, culture, and social justice across the STEM/humanities divide.
Dr. Yao is actively involved in building academic communities focused on queer studies and social justice. As co-director of qUCL, she helps foster a vibrant network for queer scholarship at University College London. Her work extends beyond traditional academic boundaries, as evidenced by her viral TikTok mentions and engagement with public scholarship through media like BBC Radio 3.
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