Woodman, Sophia
Research
Social rights and social welfare in China
My project uses the lens of local-level social welfare work to explore the question of how people understand their social rights and the state's obligations towards them in China today. It proposes the concept of stratified citizenship as means to analyze the distinctions in provision of welfare in different places in China. My material comes from ethnographic fieldwork in urban and rural Tianjin that involved observing the daily work of the lowest level of the state in China, the neighborhood committees and villager committees.
I hope that my research will contribute to understanding about the different ways people perceive rights and state obligations as well as providing a readable account of the work of social welfare in China today. I also hope to engage with and challenge the theoretical literature on the emergence of regimes of rights globally, and to advance a conceptual framework for understanding ways entitlements are stratified.
My passion is research, and I wanted time to improve my skills as a researcher and conduct an in-depth study, which the PhD program certainly allows.
UBC has a strong tradition of research on Asia in general and China in particular. I am affiliated with the Institute for Asian Research, and this provides opportunities for regular exchange with scholars in my field. I also appreciate the beautiful environment of the UBC campus and of Vancouver in general.
So near, yet so far! Be aware that Canadian academic culture may be quite different from that in the US.
Swimming in the Pacific Ocean while looking out over snow capped mountains.
Yoga, tai chi chuan, Chinese medicine, gardening, cooking and food
I will seek a position in a research-oriented university to continue my study of various dimensions of rights in China and elsewhere in Asia. I also hope to continue to contribute my expertise to human rights organizations working on China on a volunteer basis.
