Current NYU Shanghai Global Research Initiatives Fellows

Kevin Goldstein
PhD Candidate, Department of Comparative Literature, GSAS
Email:
kdg245@nyu.edu

Synopsis of Research in Shanghai (January 18 - April 14)：

Goldstein’s dissertation identifies previously unexamined links between blind writers, visual artists, musicians, and actors, specifically in the context of their thematic treatment of blindness itself. The project centers on the tension between, on the one hand, a tendency toward assimilation and the suppression of difference, and on the other hand, a drive to substantiate a distinct identity and culture via artistic practice. While some artists cease work after going blind, affirming the deeply ingrained complex of vision, knowledge, and creativity, others conceive of blindness as a source of inspiration and affinity with other blind artists, alive and dead. Goldstein argues that this, in part, forms the basis of a multilingual, transnational blind culture. The act of fostering a dialogue both within and without the text, literary or otherwise, becomes a profoundly political gesture. Blindness is not simply a social problem, but a source of identity and of artistic creation. 

 

Meng Wei
PhD Candidate, Department of History, GSAS
Email:
mw1601@nyu.edu

Synopsis of Research in Shanghai (February 13 - May 13)：

Wei’s dissertation focuses on the history of Islam and Muslims in late imperial China. It is a study of the changing social networks among Muslim officials, merchants, and local communities to re-envision the question of the Muslim identity, and to achieve a renewed understanding of the relationship between the state and the Muslims. Wei’s main sources include published and unpublished mosque and tomb stele inscriptions, archival sources, local gazetteers, official histories and biographies, and genealogies.

 

Jingyuan Mo
PhD Candidate, Department of Finance, Stern
Email:
jm3499@nyu.edu

Synopsis of Research in Shanghai (Mar 18 - May 5)：

Mo’s second project is on Chinese business firm groups. Last April, Mo and his advisor visited and discussed in detail the collaboration with their data vendor, Great Wisdom, which is a 10-minute walk from NYUSH. Mo has also applied and received some funding from NYU Stern CGEB PhD grant, which can cover a large portion of the quoted price on Chinese business group data. Since connectedness and structure of Chinese business groups is a largely under-researched area, they believe that this pioneering work will lay a solid foundation for future research on related topics. Next spring, Mo’s adviser will also be in Shanghai to work with him on another recently initiated research project on Chinese government implicit guarantee, another largely under-researched topic.

Qi Xu
PhD Candidate, Department of Psychology, GSAS
Email:
qx267@nyu.edu

Synopsis of Research in Shanghai (March 5 - May 25)： 

The majority of existing relationship research has been conducted in the western culture context. Xu is interested in investigating several relationship constructs and phenomena, including relationship identity, representation, social support seeking and provision, in the Eastern cultural context with Chinese samples. Xu plans to use multiple methods including online questionnaires and observational studies in the project.

 

Martina Balestra
PhD Candidate, Department of Technology Management, Tandon
Email:
mb5758@nyu.edu

Synopsis of Research in Shanghai (October 9 - December 1)： 

Balestra’s PhD research focuses on the understanding the “what,” “how,” and “why” of complex behavioral trajectories among users of peer production and sharing economy platforms. She is interested in questions related to: (1) the emergence and characterization of complex, dynamic user roles in decentralized and networked systems, (2) the structural, motivational, and dispositional determinants of who falls into what role, and (3) how individual, localized patterns of engagement give way to global system behavior. While in Shanghai, Balestra intends to work on a project that aims to understand dynamic decision-making processes in online peer-to-peer lending. She hopes to take advantage of access to faculty in the Institute for the Interdisciplinary Study of Decision Making and the Center for Data Science and Analytics, including learning more about Chinese platforms and data repositories.