Professional Bio

Areas of Interest: Sociocultural linguistics, Cultural and Media Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Language and Identity, Language ideology, Linguistic Anthropology

Zhiye Ding earned a dual BA in Sociology from Duke University and Duke Kunshan University, and an MA in Anthropology from University of Chicago. Prior to joining Penn State, he took a gap year teaching Mandarin Chinese and English (ELA) at different schools in Chicago, including University of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Catholic schools, and charter schools. His research interests include sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, language and ideology, and the role of lnguage in constructing gender and sexuality. Drawing on both qualitative and ethnographic methods, Zhiye is particularly interested in how language mediates power relations in institutional and everyday contexts.