China

In my research on China, I examine the implications of inequalities across ethnic groups and classes. Through my five years of study of the Chinese language in Shanghai and Taipei (and at Columbia), and professional work for the United Nations and Intermedia Survey Institute in Southeast Asia, I spent a total of around two years in the region.

Subjective Well-Being in China

This paper examines the consequences of China’s dramatic socioeconomic and political transformations for individual subjective well-being (SWB) from 1990 to 2007. Although many still consider China to be a collectivist country, and some scholars have argued that collectivist factors would be important predictors of individual well-being in such a context, our analysis demonstrates that the Chinese are increasingly prioritizing individualist factors in assessments of their own happiness and life satisfaction thus substantiating descriptions of their society as increasingly individualistic. While the vast majority of quality of life studies have focused on Westerners, this study contributes findings from the unique cultural context of China. Moreover, concentration on this particular period in Chinese history offers insight into the relationship between SWB and rapid socioeconomic and political change.

Key words: Subjective well-being, happiness, life satisfaction, China, individualism, collectivism, countries in transition

• Steele, Liza G. and Scott M. Lynch. 2013. “The Pursuit of Happiness in China: Individualism, Collectivism, and Subjective Well-Being during China’s Economic and Social Transformation.” Social Indicators Research. 114(2):441-451. DOI: 10.1007/s11205-012-0154-1. Published article | PDF

Terrorism in Xinjiang?

China rarely evokes images of radical Islam, bus bombings and mosque razings. Yet all of these elements have had a distinct impact on life in China’s north-western province, Xinjiang. While the Chinese government has emphasized Islamic extremism and acts of terror to convince international actors that it is confronted with an international terrorist movement, human rights organizations have pointed out the high level of dissatisfaction pervasive among Xinjiang’s Uighur population. The desperation among Uighurs in Xinjiang has spawned a significant terrorist movement. Were the numerous grievances of the Uighurs addressed by Beijing, the movement would lose its limited popular support, which is currently on the rise.

Key words: Xinjiang, China, terrorism, political violence, Muslim minority

• Steele, Liza and Raymond C. Kuo. 2007. “Terrorism in Xinjiang?” Ethnopolitics. 6(1): 1-19. (Lead article) Published article | PDF

Deng Xiaoping

• Steele, Liza G. 2011. "Deng Xiaoping (1904–1997)." in Encyclopedia of Global Religion, edited by Wade Clark Roof and Mark Juergensmeyer. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. Encyclopedia entry