Dr Yao-Tai Li
Senior Lecturer
PhD (University of California, San Diego) MA (National Taiwan University) BA (National Taiwan University)
Arts, Design & Architecture (ADA)
School of Social Sciences
Yao-Tai is Senior Lecturer of Sociology and Social Policy in the School of Social Sciences at 麻豆社madou.听His research interests include Race and Ethnicity, Identity, Migration, Work and Labour, Contentious Politics, and Social Media. Prior to joining 麻豆社madou, Yao-Tai was an assistant professor of sociology at Hong Kong Baptist University (2017-2021). His Ph.D. dissertation examines under what circumstances and how migrants from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong draw boundaries within the pan-Chinese identity in Australia, as well as the cultural and economic meanings of co-ethnic exploitation in the Australian cash-in-hand labour market, and policy implications. He is the author of Protest Walls: Co-authoring Contentious Repertoires (published by Cambridge University Press, 2025).
Yao-Tai has been conducting research into Hong Kong's contentious politics through various perspectives such as urban sociology, cultural politics, global networks, and data activism. He is now working on a book project on tracking the rhetorical change of Chinese community organisations' response to racism in Australia since the abolition of the White Australia Policy since 1973.
E-mail
Location
Level 1, Room 123, Morven Brown Building
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
2024 Arts, Design and Architecture (ADA) Faculty Research Grant 鈥 Seed Funding Scheme
2024 School of Social Sciences Research Grant 鈥 Top Quality Publication Scheme
2023 Asia Study Grant, National Library of Australia
2023 School of Social Sciences Research Grant 鈥 Individual Research Strategy Scheme
2022听Arts, Design and Architecture (ADA) Faculty Research Grant 鈥 Seed Funding Scheme
2022 Arts, Design and Architecture (ADA) Faculty Research Grants Scheme (SPF02)
2020鈥21听Early Career Scheme, Research Grants Council, Hong Kong
2019鈥21听Initiation Grant for Faculty Niche Research Areas (FNRA-IG), HKBU
2019 Travel Grant for Starting-up Scholars from Overseas, Japan Sociological Society (JSS)
2019 Faculty Research Grant II, HKBU
2015鈥16听Dissertation Fellowship for ROC Students Abroad, Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange
2015听Australian Government Endeavour Research Fellowship
2014听Next Generation Sociologists Grant, ISA World Congress of Sociology
2014听International Graduate Student Travel Grant, East-West Center, Honolulu
2013听Travel Grant, The University Service Centre for China Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong
2011鈥13听Fulbright Graduate Study Grants
2011鈥14听Government Scholarship for Studying Abroad, Ministry of Education, Taiwan
2024听 听 听 Dean鈥檚 Award for Outstanding Achievement as an Early Career Academic 鈥 Researcher, Faculty of Arts, Design & Architecture, 麻豆社madou
2023 听 听 听High commended, ADA Early Career Academic Network (Category: Best Traditional Research Output), 麻豆社madou
2021听 听 听 The Sigma Awards for Data Journalism (Project: Hong Kong Lennon Wall Collection), Google News Initiative听
2021听 听 听听45th The Golden Tripod Awards for Publication (Digital Publishing category 鈥 Digital Content award), Ministry of Culture, Taiwan
2021听 听 25th Human Rights Press Awards (Multimedia), The Foreign Correspondents鈥 Club Hong Kong, Amnesty International, and the Hong Kong Journalists Association
2021听 听 听听Best Presentation Award, European Association of Taiwan Studies (EATS) Annual Conference
2020 听 听 听A. Noam Chomsky Rising Star Emerging Scholar Award, Society of Transnational Academic Researchers (STAR)
2020听 听 听听Faculty Early Career Teaching Award, Hong Kong Baptist University听
2017听 听 听听Dissertation Writing Award, Department of Sociology, UCSD
2016听 听 听听Graduate Student Paper Award, Racial and Ethnic Minorities Division, Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP)听
2016听 听 听听American Sociological Association Student Forum Travel Award
2016听听 听 听The Lee Student Travel Fund Award, Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP)
2015听 听 听听Young Scholar Award, China Times Cultural Foundation, New York听
2014听 听 听听Summer Research Grant Awards, Department of Sociology, UCSD
2013鈥14 UC California Studies Consortium (UCCSC) Award, University of California Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI)
2013听 听 听听The Dean of Social Science Research Fund Award, UCSD
Ongoing Projects
Perceptions of Citizenship and Migration
The Changing Rhetoric of Racial Discrimination against Chinese Migrants in Australia after 1973 (https://www.nla.gov.au/stories/blog/exploring-experiences-chinese-migrants-australia)
The Role of Ethnic Networks to East Asian Temporary Migrants鈥 Integration or Exploitation in Australia
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Ad-hoc Reviewer for Journals
American Journal of Sociology, Asian Anthropology, Big Data & Society, British Journal of Sociology, Canadian Review of Sociology, China Perspectives, Chinese Journal of Communication,听Cities: The International Journal of Urban Policy and Planning,听Common Law World Review,听Cosmopolitan Civil Societies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Critical Sociology,听Current Psychology, Current Sociology, Development and Society, Economic and Labour Relations Review, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Europe-Asia Studies, European Journal of Social Psychology, Hong Kong Studies, Human Relations, Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power,听Information, Communication & Society,听International Journal of Asian Studies,听International Journal of Comparative Sociology, International Journal of Hospitality Management, International Migration, International Migration Review, International Sociology, Internet Research, Journal of Contemporary Asia, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, Journal of Intercultural Studies, Journal of Labor and Society,听Journal of Mixed Methods Research,听Journal of Youth Studies,听Journal of Urban Affairs,听Mass Communication and Society,听Nations and Nationalism, Nationalities Papers, New Media & Society, Patterns of Prejudice,听Political Behavior,听Political Psychology,听Qualitative Sociology,听Routledge,听SAGE Open,听Social Identities,听Social Inclusion, Social Science Computer Review,听Social Movement Studies, Social Transformations in Chinese Societies, Sociological Inquiry,听Sociological Quarterly,听Sociological Research Online,听Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism, The Sociological Review, Urban Affairs Review, Urban Studies,听Visual Studies,听Work, Employment and Society
2025听听听听听听听 Chair, RC 31 Sociology of Migration, Best Article Award Committee, ISA
2024听 听 听 听 Martin Bulmer Prize Committee Member, Ethnic and Racial Studies
2024鈥撎 Convenor, Master of Public Policy and Governance, 麻豆社madou
2024鈥撎 听 听 Editorial Board Member, Ethnic and Racial Studies
2024鈥27听 Board Member, RC 31 Sociology of Migration, International Sociology Association (ISA)
2023鈥撎 听 听 Mentoring Program, International Migration Section, American Sociology Association (ASA)
2023鈥24听 SOSS Representative and Treasurer, ADA Early Career Academic Network (ECAN), 麻豆社madou
2023听听听听听听听 Grant Proposal Reviewer for National Science Centre Poland
2023听 听 听 听听Coding for 2023 Digital Society Project (DSP) Expert Cycle
2022鈥撎 听 听 International Advisory Board Member, British Journal of Sociology
2022鈥撎 听 听 Research Committee Member, School of Social Sciences, 麻豆社madou
2022鈥24听 Executive Council Member of the Australian Taiwanese Friendship Association (ATFA)
2022鈥23听 Workshop Facilitator for Year 10 Experience Day for High School Students, 麻豆社madou
2021鈥24听 Editorial Board Member, Work, Employment and Society
2022听 听 听 听 Program Committee Member, International Conference on Social Media & Society (SMSociety22)
2021听听听听听听听 Organizing Committee Member, Work, Employment and Society Conference
2021听 听 听 听 A. Noam Chomsky Global Connections Awards Committee Member, Society of Transnational Academic Researchers
2021听听听听听听听 Awards Judge for Networks 2021: A Joint Sunbelt and NetSci Conference
2020鈥撎 Expert Roster for Peer Review of United Nations Networks on Migration
2019鈥撎 Features Editor, Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism
2017听 听 听Graduate Student Paper Award Committee Member, Racial and Ethnic Minorities Division, Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP)听
2014鈥撎 Executive Council Member of Taiwan Working Holiday Youth (T-WHY)
Visiting Positions
Mar. 2025鈥揗ay 2025 Visiting Fellow, Department of Sociology, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), London, England
Aug. 2015鈥揊eb. 2016听 听Visiting Scholar, Department of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Sydney, Australia
Dec. 2014鈥揗ay 2015听 听Visiting Scholar, Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Research Centre, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia听听听听听听听听
Professional Association Membership
Association for Asian Studies (AAS)
American Sociological Association (ASA)
Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism (ASEN)
British Sociological Association (BSA)
Hong Kong Sociological Association (HKSA)
International Sociological Association (ISA)
Society for Hong Kong Studies (SHKS)
Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP)
The Australian Sociological Association (TASA)
My Research Supervision
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Simon Metcalfe (PhD Social Sciences) The Affective Dimensions of Border Regimes: Australia鈥檚 Violent Border Policies towards People Seeking Asylum (Primary Supervisor)
Shutong Chen (PhD Social Sciences) Transnational Queer Activism in Australia: An Analysis of the Civic Participation of Diaspora Chinese Queer Activists听(Primary Supervisor)听
Roxarne Moon (PhD Social Sciences) Folktales and the Sociology of Belonging (Secondary Supervisor)
Masters
Yue Wu (Master of Public Policy and Governance, MPPG)听Vulnerable in Australia: A Case Study of Asian Female International Student Workers in the Service Industry听(High Distinction)
Vithja Tong听(Master of Public Policy and Governance, MPPG) The Evolution of Environmental Discourse and Political Identity in the Australian Greens
Honours Supervision听(B.A., Hons.)
Jacqueline Price. The Moral Dimensions of a Movement: An Analysis of Doxing during the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Protests (First Class Honours), Recipient of The Australian Sociological Association (TASA)听Honours Student听Award
Zainab Theyab.听Navigating AI and the Changing Landscape within Higher Education听
Natalia Stewart.听Misogyny in the Digital Age: Viral Misogynism and Its Implications for Sexual Assault Victims
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My Teaching
鈥 ARTS 2870 Citizens, Action, and Dissent
鈥 SOSS 2002 Quantitative Social Research
鈥 SRAP 5021 Policy, Advocacy and Activism in the Digital Age