The Rural Sociological Society (RSS) recognized PhD student Yue Xu as winner of the 4 Minute Flash Talk at the 83rd Annual Meeting of the Society. Yue presented “Rise of Social Network Based Seafood Industrial Cluster and Rural Community Transformation in Zhoushan Islands of China.”

RSS judges said, “Yue Xu in this talk explores the historical, political, and cultural contexts for the establishment of the growing seafood industry in the Zhousan Islands in China. Using in-depth qualitative methods she looks at how inequalities are created and reproduced through the development of this industry and how this development has affected the structure of rural communities. The judges found this talk marked by strong theorization and methodology. It addresses interesting questions that speak to core concerns within rural sociology, including public policy and uneven development, social networks structures and reproduction of inequalities, community embeddedness. Her approach brings to mind the work of James Scott in its attention to the contradictory outcomes of state policy and how those policies are undone and/or subverted by informal practices and local social structures. We are pleased to recognize Yue Xu with this award!”

Congratulations, Yue!