Minwoo Jung, PhD

About

Minwoo Jung is a sociologist whose work centers on gender, sexuality, race, and empire, with an emphasis on political activism and knowledge production. He analyzes how various local and international actors—activists, policymakers, experts, and community members—comprehend, envision, and strategize for social transformation. Taking a global and transnational perspective, he investigates how global forces interact with diverse regional, national, and local contexts within these political and cultural processes. His research is situated at the intersection of sociology of gender and sexualities, political sociology, and global and transnational sociology. His work aligns with the growing interests in global, transnational, and decolonial scholarship within feminist and queer studies, social movement studies, and Asian studies. In his ongoing book project, he examines the conditions and consequences of sexuality politics in Asia from a comparative perspective. For his next project, he inquires the decolonization of knowledge production in the context of the global circulation and reconstruction of “queer theory.”

Degrees

PhD, Sociology
University of Southern California, 2021

MA, Sociology
Chung-Ang University, 2011

BA, Sociology
Seoul National University, 2009

Professional & Community Affiliations

American Sociological Association

Society for the Study of Social Problems

Sociologists for Women in Society

International Sociological Association

Association for Asian Studies

Courses Taught

Global Inequalities

Globalization and Society (Engaged Learning course)

Sociology of Sex and Gender

Introduction to Women’s Studies and Gender Studies

Gender, Sexuality, and Social Movements (Graduate Seminar)

Professional Writing in Sociology (Graduate Seminar)

Awards

Outstanding Published Article Award, ASA Peace, War, and Social Conflict Section (2022)

Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship Dissertation Award, ASA Collective Behavior & Social Movements Section (2022)

Ken Sherrill Prize for Best Dissertation in Sexuality and Politics, APSA Sexuality and Politics Section (2022)

Graduate Student Paper Award, Honorable Mention, ASA Human Rights Section (2021)

Martin P. Levine Memorial Dissertation Award, ASA Sexualities Section (2020)

Best Graduate Student Paper Award, ASA Sexualities Section (2020)

Graduate Student Research Paper Award, ASA Asia/Asian America Section (2020)

Best Graduate Student Paper Award, Honorable Mention, ASA Global/Transnational Sociology Section (2020)

ISA Worldwide Competition for Junior Sociologists, Finalist (2018)

Graduate Student Paper Award, Association for Korean Sociologists in America (2018)

Selected Publications

Jung, Minwoo. 2022. “Quiet Politics: Queer Organizing in Corporate Singapore.” The Sociological Review 70.5: 863-881.

• ASA Sexualities Section Graduate Student Paper Award (2020)
• Featured: The Sociological Review Summer Sessions Webinar (2023)

Jung, Minwoo. 2021. “Imagining Sovereign Futures: The Marriage Equality Movement in Taiwan.” Social Movement Studies (online first).

• ASA Peace, War, and Social Conflict Section Outstanding Published Article Award (2022)

Jung, Minwoo. 2021. “Embracing the Nation: Strategic Deployment of Sexuality, Nation, and Citizenship in Singapore.” The British Journal of Sociology 72.5: 1229-1245.

Jung, Minwoo. 2017. “Precarious Seoul: Urban Inequality and Belonging of Young Adults in South Korea.” positions: asia critique 25.4: 745-67.

• Association of Korean Sociologists in America Graduate Student Paper Award (2018)
• Featured: “Labor and Precarity Syllabus” (Duke University Press, 2020)