Expertise

Geographical areas of specialization: China; Taiwan

Research Interests: state and citizenship; migration, intimacy; marriage; gender and sexuality; reproductive politics and kinship

My research to date has examined the connections between large-scale political processes and intimate life, with particular attention to the place of state power and citizenship in gender identities, intimate relationships, and bodily practices of dress, labor, and sexuality. These interests reflect my interdisciplinary training in sociocultural anthropology, gender studies, and East Asian studies. They also emerge from my experiences living and working in China and Taiwan since the late 1980s.

A second major strand of my research looks at how cross-cultural analyses of intimacy and sexuality challenge norms rooted in Euro-American cultures.

I have also examined the role of film in constructing models of same-sex intimacy that may or may not be associated with sexual identities.

My recent work builds on my longstanding interest in the historical and contemporary relationship between Taiwan and China.

Professor Friedman's research focuses on the relationship between political processes and intimate life in China and Taiwan.

Research Interests:

  • State and citizenship
  • Migration
  • Gender and sexuality
  • Marriage and family
  • Contemporary Chinese societies

Research Interests

  • marriage and the state; socialism and post-socialism; gender and sexuality; reproductive politics; kinship; citizenship; ethnicity; media and representation; transnationalism; tourism; language politics

Research Areas:

  • Gender and sexuality; migration and citizenship; marriage; kinship and reproductive politics; law; ethnicity; China and Taiwan

Research Interests:

  • State and citizenship; migration; gender and sexuality; marriage and family; contemporary Chinese societies
Past Affiliations
Communities
Language Studies, Asian Studies, Gender Studies, Chinese, Japanese, Anthropology
Degrees
PhD, Cornell University, Anthropology, 2000
MA, Cornell University, Anthropology, 1995
BA, Yale University, East Asian Studies, 1988