Min Zhou 周敏 (born July 14, 1956 in
Zhongshan
Zhongshan (; ) is a prefecture-level city in the south of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, China. As of the 2020 census, the whole city with 4,418,060 inhabitants is now part of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen conurbation with 65,565,622 ...
) is a Chinese-born American sociologist.
Zhou completed a bachelor's degree in English at
Sun Yat-sen University
Sun Yat-sen University (, abbreviated SYSU and colloquially known in Chinese as Zhongda), also known as Zhongshan University, is a national key public research university located in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. It was founded in 1924 by and nam ...
in 1982, and became a lecturer at her alma mater until 1984, when she began graduate study. She enrolled at the
State University of New York at Albany
The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...
, earning a master of arts and doctorate in sociology in 1985 and 1989, respectively. Zhou started her teaching career as an assistant professor at
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...
in 1990, then moved to the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...
(ULCA) in 1994, where she was promoted to associate and later full professor. After four years as chair of the Asian American studies interdepartmental degree program, Zhou became the founding chair of the university's Department of Asian American Studies in 2005.
The Walter and Shirley Wang Endowed Chair in U.S.-China Relations and Communications was established at UCLA in 2008. Zhou assumed the position in 2009,
and has also served Singapore's
Nanyang Technological University as
Tan Lark Sye
Tan Lark Sye (; 1897–1972) was a prominent Chinese businessman and philanthropist based in Singapore.
Early life
Tan was born in a Hoklo peasant family of seven in Jimei of Tong An in Fujian, China. Born into of very limited means, and orph ...
Chair Professor between 2013 and 2016.
Zhou has worked with
Carl L. Bankston to expand the definition of
social capital to not only include the resources held by individuals or groups, but also the processes of social interaction leading to constructive outcomes. This work and redefinition has helped spur the modern understanding of social capital and its interplay between power groups.
Zhou's other sociological insights have been primarily within the fields of immigrant life and ethnic
assimilation, particularly focused on the
Asian American community. She has authored or co-authored two noted books spotlighting various sociological aspects of immigrant life—''
Chinatown: The Socioeconomic Potential of an Urban Enclave'' (Temple University Press, 1992) and ''
Growing Up American
{{italic title
''Growing Up American: How Vietnamese Children Adapt to Life in the United States'', by Min Zhou and Carl L. Bankston III is one of the most influential books on the Vietnamese American experience. Published in 1998 by the Russell ...
: How Vietnamese Children Adapt to Life in the United States'' (Russell Sage Foundation Press, 1998). Zhou was also the coeditor of ''Contemporary Asian America'' (New York University Press, 2000) and ''Asian American Youth: Culture, Identity, and Ethnicity'' (Rutledge, 2004). Zhou and Jennifer Lee co-wrote ''“The Asian American Achievement Paradox'', and shared the 2017
Association for Asian American Studies
The Association for Asian American Studies was founded in 1979 as the Association for Asian/Pacific American Studies. The name was changed in 1982. The organization was established to promote teaching and research in Asian American studies. Its o ...
Social Science Award. The same book won three other awards from the
American Sociological Association (ASA). Later that year, Zhou received the Distinguished Career Award from the ASA's Section on International Migration.
References
External links
UCLA faculty webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhou, Min
1956 births
Living people
American women sociologists
American sociologists
Chinese women sociologists
University of California, Los Angeles faculty
University at Albany, SUNY alumni
Educators from Guangdong
People from Zhongshan
21st-century women scientists
21st-century social scientists
20th-century social scientists
20th-century women scientists
20th-century American women writers
21st-century American women writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
20th-century Chinese women writers
20th-century Chinese writers
American women non-fiction writers
21st-century Chinese women writers
21st-century Chinese writers
Chinese non-fiction writers
Chinese emigrants to the United States
American expatriates in Singapore
Chinese expatriates in Singapore
Nanyang Technological University faculty
Sun Yat-sen University alumni