top of page
IMG_3291.jpeg

 Nellie Chu

Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology, Division of Social Sciences and the Center for the Study of Contemporary China,
Duke Kunshan University

 

I am a socio-cultural anthropologist specializing in global supply chains, migration (domestic and transnational), urbanization, industrialization, and contemporary China. I have conducted ethnographic research in these areas and have published articles in well-recognized academic journals. My current research focuses on the impact of global supply chains on migrant communities (transnational and domestic) and the role of small-scale entrepreneurship ("bosshood") in shaping labor and livelihoods. Scroll down or click the tabs above to learn more about my research and academic background.

IMG_0166.jpeg
IMG_6278.jpeg
IMG_1194.jpeg

Teaching and Diversity Work

As an Asian-American woman, my personal experiences of growing up in an immigrant and

non-English speaking household have motivated me to value teaching as a platform through

which concerns among under-represented students, particularly women and minorities, can be

openly asserted. Over the course of my intellectual development, the struggles that I faced in

publicly articulating my opinions and my political identity as a Chinese-American woman have

inspired me to seek novel ways of bridging various student bodies and under-represented groups

across cross-cultural divides through collective engagement with societal problems and scientific

inquiries.

In 2021, I co-organized a panel, "Confronting Anti-Asian Hate: Gendered, Racialized, and Transnational Perspectives," which was co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Contemporary China and The Freedom Lab c/0 DKU Humanities Research Center. Click here to view the panel: https://sites.duke.edu/dkuhumanities/confronting-anti-asian-hate-gendered-racialized-and-transnational-perspectives/

 

This all-female panel featured speakers who address questions of gender, race, and labor from historical and transnational perspectives. The panel highlighted the experiences of the AAPI communities as a stepping-stone to a broader conversation on intersectional violence that crosses gendered, class, racial, religious, and heteronormative lines. We unpacked the significance of the Atlanta shootings, its ties to the deep historical roots of Asian-American activism, and its potentialities in building cross-racial and intersectional ties with other social movements around the world, including Black Lives Matter. By delving into the histories and diversity of AAPI identities and experiences, this panel demonstrated how communities of care, safety, and security can be built and empowered in face of acts of systemic hate, violence, and injustice. 

Publications

Driven by my intellectual curiosity and my love for ethnographic research, I have written extensively on the topics of migrant entrepreneurship, gendered labor, fast fashion, China's urban villages, urbanization, industrialization, transnational capitalism, China, and East Asia.

  • Chu, Nellie. (In progress). “From the Runway to the Platform: The Politics of In-Authenticity in the Era of Global Fast Fashion and China’s E-Vendor Economy,” article contribution in a special issue on Transnational Entrepreneurship in Latin America, Africa, and China to be submitted to the journal, Social Anthropology.
     

  • Chu, Nellie (co-author). 2022. Introduction to special issue volume co-written by Nellie Chu, Ralph Litzinger, Mengqi Wang, and Qian Zhu titled, “Villages Make the City: Displacement, Dispossession, and Class in China’s Urban Villages,” , Vol. 30(3): 411-427.

 

  • Chu, Nellie. 2022. “ Peasant Landlords and the Infrastructures of Accumulation in Guangzhou’s Urban Villages” article contribution to special issue volume titled, “Villages Make the City” Displacement, Dispossession, and Class in China’s Urban Villages, positions: east asia critique, Volume 30(3): 479-499.
     

  • Chu, Nellie. 2019. “Maternal Longing and Jiagongchang Household Workshops as Marginal Hubs of Subcontracted Labor in Guangzhou, China,” Modern Asian Studies, Volume 53: 800-821.
     

  • Chu, Nellie. 2018. “Paradoxes of Creativity in the Age of Fast Fashion in South China,” Culture, Theory, and Critique 59(1): 1-15.

​

  • Chu, Nellie. 2016. “The Emergence of “Craft” and Migrant             

        Entrepreneurship along the Global Commodity Chain in   

        Guangzhou” 9(2): 193-213.

Featured Talks and Interviews

Fast Fashion, Migrant Labor, and Urban Villages in Southern China

In this interview, I elaborate on the interplay between the fast fashion industry, urban villages, and migrant labor in Southern China. The discussion provides a comprehensive examination of the post-socialist transformations in China, shedding light on the unique labor practices, land dynamics, and personhood transformations that shape the global supply chains of fast fashion. Through an exploration of urban villages as key facilitators of low-cost manufacturing and entrepreneurial ventures, the interview offers valuable insights into the evolving landscape of labor and production in the region. This academic perspective opens new avenues for understanding the complexities of the fast fashion industry and its socio-economic impact on Chinese society. Moreover, the interview explores the influence of key factors like the Covid-19 pandemic and digital media on the evolving dynamics of labor and production in this context.

​

Source: https://www.cemeas.de/cemeas-conversations-nellie-chu/

In Spring 2018, I presented my research at Cornell University's Contemporary China Initiative. The talk, "Displacement: The Making of Global Fast Fashion in Guangzhou's Villages in  the City," explores how the processes of urbanization and industrialization in Guangzhou shape and are shaped by the global supply chains for fast fashion.

Academic Blogs and Other Creative Works

Through rigorous research and analysis, I have examined a variety of topics, from migration and entrepreneurship to global supply chains and fast fashion. I invite you to read more about my projects and gain an understanding of the ever-evolving global economy.

  1. “Urban Villages, Grid Management, and the Contradictions of Capital,” Made in China Journal, June 2023, accessible: https://madeinchinajournal.com/2023/06/13/urban-villages-grid-management-and-the-contradictions-of-capital/
     

  2. “The Uncertain Rhythms of Life for China’s Migrant Bosses.” Noema Magazine, August 2022, accessible: https://www.noemamag.com/the-uncertain-rhythms-of-life-for-chinas-migrant-bosses/.
     

  3. “Engendering Laoban: The Masculinization of Bosshood and Uncertainty in Transnational Guangzhou, China.” International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies: Perspectives, July 2022, accessible: https://ijaps.usm.my/?page_id=6659.
     

  4. “Reconfiguring Supply Chains,” Chinoiresie/ Made in China Journal, October 2018, accessible: http://www.chinoiresie.info/reconfiguring-supply-chains/
     

  5. “Global Supply Chains of Risk and Desire: Migrant Youths and Fast Fashion Exchange in Guangzhou, China” Youth Circulations blog (in field of Cultural Anthropology), May 2019; accessible: http://www.youthcirculations.com/blog/2019/3/13/global-supply-chains-of-risk-and-desire-migrant-youths-and-the-fast-fashion-exchange-in-guangzhou-china
     

  6. Uncertain Encounters: African Migrant Entrepreneurs and Chinese Manufacturers in Guangzhou, China,” Series: Internal Migration in China, University of Nottingham’s China Policy Institute Blog
     

  7. “ Rhythms of Displacement and Resilience,” University of 

      Göttingen CETREN Center for Transregional Research  

      Network’s blog, Field Impressions

 

 

Photography/
Field Impressions

My experience in the field has led me to appreciate the art of photography. Click to view more.

IMG_3433.jpeg
bottom of page