Fang Xu
Professor, Namibia University of Science and Technology
Introduction
Fang Xu, Ph.D, a lecturer in the Interdisciplinary Studies Program at UC Berkeley. She is an urban sociologist with expertise in language, cultural identity, and public policies in urban China. Her other research interests lie in urban studies, consumption, nationalism, and migration. In her book titled "Silencing Shanghai: Language and Identity in Urban China," the author explores the paradoxical and counterintuitive phenomenon of Shanghai's transformation into a global city while its native population, symbolized by the rapid decline of the unique Shanghai dialect, faces marginalization. This thought-provoking book has garnered reviews from reputable sources such as The China Quarterly, Language in Society, and has also been featured in an article by The Economist. Dr. Xu currently works on a research project that investigates linguistic assimilation and linguistic discrimination experienced by first generation immigrants whose mother language is not English, and their opinions on the notion, “Be American, Speak English.”
