Jundai Liu (Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies, University of Michigan)

Civic solidarity is an underexplored concept in sociology and political science. This talk unpacks its theoretical dimensions—what civic solidarity is, how it is formed, and what the social and political implications are. Through this lens, Dr. Liu examines a puzzling phenomenon in contemporary rural China: Why are some villagers able to sustain contention and engage in building democratic institutions for self-rule?

Jundai Liu is a WCED Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan. She received her PhD in sociology from Harvard University in 2018. With comparative-historical and qualitative methods, her research lies broadly in political sociology, sociology of development, and historical sociology, with a focus on China and East Asia. Her current book project examines different patterns of villagers’ political behavior where there were major stakes and conflicts brought about by active land development in China.