Dr Eva Cheuk Yin Li
Lecturer in Sociology (Media and Cultural Studies Team)Profile
I am a global media researcher with a profound interest in exploring culture through the lenses of fandom, gender/sexuality, and digital media. My work delves into how media, particularly within digital spaces, both shapes and is shaped by everyday interactions and broader social structures, including inequality and geopolitics.
My research focuses on two interconnected areas: (1) transnational queer media and fandom, and (2) the intersections of gender, sexuality, and everyday practices. Additionally, I am also investigating the self-representation and media consumption of the Hong Kong diaspora in the UK within digital spaces.
Trained in sociology, I employ a qualitative, empirical, and decolonial methodology, enabling me to deeply explore the complexities of cultural phenomena and their implications for social inequality.
Central to my work is the examination of the intricate relationships between media texts, audiences, and producers, as well as the dynamics of consumption and participation in transnational and digital contexts. I critically analyse how media representations engage with structural inequalities, particularly in the context of the increasing diversity in gender and sexual representations in Global Asia. My research scrutinises how these visual narratives empower communities, influence individual practices, and either challenge or reinforce existing inequalities.
Currently, I am working on my first monograph, titled The Middle Gender: Resistance against Gender Binary in Sinophone Asia, which is based on my award-winning PhD research. The manuscript is currently under contract with Amsterdam University Press.
I have been a member of the editorial board for Media, Culture and Society since 2020. To date, I've edited the themed special section 'Mediating Gender in Digital China: Post-2020s Discourse and Representation', and co-edited themed sections 'Encounters with Western Media Theory' and the ongoing 'Rethinking Keywords in Media and Cultural Studies during and beyond COVID-19.'
I have been interviewed by various international media outlets on issues related to gender representation in UK reality TV, government regulations and the Chinese entertainment industry, queer media in Hong Kong, as well as the new Hong Kong migrant community in the UK.
Between 2021 and 2023, I served as a core task force member of the ESRC-NSTC-funded Taiwan-UK Sex, Gender, Sexual Minority (SGS) Health Research Network (TUSHRN). During this time, I co-organised an international online symposium and conference that brought together health researchers across the globe to foster cross-national collaboration in LGBTQ+ health research. In April 2023, I was invited to visit Taiwan, where I met with key stakeholders in the local LGBTQ+ community, participated in discussion panels, and delivered guest lectures on qualitative approaches to LGBTQ+ health and well-being research. Outputs I produced for this network included an article on the geopolitics of queer archives (co-first authored with Wen Liu in Sexualities) and a podcast on queer cultures in Hong Kong and Taiwan. You can find more information about TUSHRN at: https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres-projects-groups/tushrn#welcome
Since 2023, I have been a member of the ESEA (East and Southeast Asian) Online Hub. I have created a public education video for the ESEA Heritage Month online resources.
I co-founded and co-convene the cross-faculty research network Fan Studies Lancaster.
I have extensive experience working with community partners and advocacy groups, and I have delivered public lectures and workshops on topics related to queer media and the LGBTQ+ communities. Some examples of organisations I've worked with include the QTI Coalition of Colour at Cambridge, Queer China UK, Formosa Salon, Queer Asia (SOAS), Queer@King's, and Asia-Art-Activism.
I'm interested in supervising PhD projects in the following areas:
- Fandom and Participatory Culture
- Transnational Asian popular culture
- Queer Sinophone studies
- Yuri/GL (Girls' Love) media in Asia
Current Research
- Southeast Asian girls' love (GL) media and their Sinophone fandom
- Geopolitics and popular culture in East Asia
- Hongkongers' diaspora media after the 2019 Anti-ELAB Protests
Professional Role
Assistant Editor, Media, Culture & Society (2020-present)
Associate Board Member, Sociological Research Online (2020-2023)
I'm a regular reviewer for the following journals:
- East Asian Journal of Popular Culture
- Feminist Media Studies
- Feminist Review
- Gender & Society
- Global Media and China
- Journal of Lesbian Studies
- Sexualities
- The Sociological Review
- Transformative Works and Cultures
- Networking Knowledge: Journal of the MeCCSA Postgraduate Network
Current Teaching
In the 2024-2025 academic year, I convene the MA module, MCS.910: Participatory Cultures: From Mediated Communities to Fan Engagements, as the sole convenor. I am also involved in the teaching of the team-taught module MCS.101: Transformations: From Mass Media to Social Media.
Qualifications
- Fellowship (FHEA), Advance HE
- PhD in Gender, Media and Culture, King’s College London, UK
- MPhil in Sociology, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Bachelor of Social Sciences (First Class Honours), University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
PhD Supervisions Completed
- Jinxian (Lily) Wu (Thesis Title: 'Becoming Chinese Digital Feminists: The Rural/Urban Divide and the Value of Kinship Capital')
Additional Information
Prior to joining Lancaster Sociology, I have previously held research and teaching positions at King’s College London (Department of Culture, Media and Creative Industries), University of Hong Kong (Department of Sociology), and University of Sheffield (Management School).
The Middle Gender: Resistance against Gender Binary in Sinophone Asia
01/12/2023 → …
Research
The Emerging Girls' Love (GL) Media in Global Asia
01/07/2023 → …
Research
Gendered Cultural Intermediaries of Migration: UK-Hongkongers on YouTube
Oral presentation
Digital Media of Diaspora: UK Hongkongers on YouTube
Oral presentation
Girls’ Love Media Industry in Southeast Asia: : A Mere Replica of Boys’ Love Media or New Route for Queer Representation and Allyship?
Oral presentation
Fan Studies and Design Symposium
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
From immaterial love to 'material' love: Fan Support and Gifts in Transcultural Fandom
Oral presentation
Killer Fandom book launch
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Queer Scholarship and Activism in Sinophone Asia: Geopolitics and Minor-to-minor Circulation
Invited talk
20th Annual Conference of the European Association of Taiwan Studies
Participation in conference - Academic
Decolonising Queer Artistic Space and Practice: Critical Dialogue with Asian-Art-Activism
Other
Fandom Studies in Hong Kong: Girls Love, Ambiguity, and Zhongxing Celebrities
Invited talk
Strategic Resistance against Gender Binaries: Chinese Women Doing Zhongxing in Hong Kong and Urban China
Invited talk
Say No to Renminbi? The Geopolitical Economy of Queer Stardom in Post-2019 Hong Kong Cantopop Industry
Invited talk
Taiwan-UK Conference on Sex, Gender and Sexuality Health Research Conference
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Chinese Women Doing Zhongxing: Strategic Resistance against Gender Binaries
Invited talk
Not just a Metaphor: Military Imagery for COVID-19 in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Beyond
Invited talk
Media, Culture and Society (Journal)
Editorial activity
Sociological Research Online (Journal)
Editorial activity
Elsevier Outstanding PhD Thesis Prize
Prize (including medals and awards)
Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
Fellowship awarded competitively
Outstanding Paper Award of the Hong Kong Studies Annual Conference
Prize (including medals and awards)
Dean's Award for Outstanding Contribution to Internationalisation
Other distinction
Centre for Gender Studies
- Centre for Alternatives to Social and Economic Inequalities
- Centre for Gender Studies
- Fan Studies Lancaster