Current Research Areas
1) Global Economy and Development. especially focusing on dimensions of global knowledge and economic and sustainable development. In particular, I focus on how local and regional cultures and institutions shape economic development. Recently, I have also looked at the restructuring of global value chains and supply chains as well as the future of work in a new era.
2) Global Migration. I pay close attention to the issues of identity, racism and cultural encounters. In particular, I examine how migration shapes identity and the global knowledge economy.
3) International Relations Theories, especially IR theories beyond the West. In particular, I look at the emerging Chinese IR theories. I also focus on how non-Western epistemologies, ontologies and cosmologies inform the different conceptualizations of the key concepts in IR, such as power transition, hegemony, state, security, global order, and international/world society. More practically, I also pay attention to foreign policies and grand strategies.
4) Global City, especially Urbanization and Megaprojects. I am especially interested in the megaprojects and city clusters in the making, such as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Areas
5) Sociology of Global Knowledge and Culture.
6) Global Higher Education.
Beyond my current academic disciplines, I occasionally do research and write about the following areas:
1) I have an unexhausted curiosity about European and Chinese history and philosophy
2) Popular/Pop music in America and Asia. Classical music and techno music in Europe. Recently, I have conducted some research on Cantonese Pop Music in the 70s, 80s and early 90s (arguably in the golden era of Canto-Pop). Also, I look at K-pop, or Hallyu as a transnational and transcultural phenomenon.
3) Modernity and modernization. For example, I examine the origin and development of Romantic Love and how it defines modernity.
4) Methods, such as statistical analysis and econometrics. Sound methods and research designs are needed to examine the complex phenomena in global economy, international relations and global migration.
Regions of Research
I primarily focus on Western Europe, East Asia and North America.
Occasionally, I also research and write about Southeast Asia and Latin America.