XINYU GUAN
xinyu.guan.15[at]ucl.ac.uk
EDUCATION
University College London, London, United Kingdom
M.Sc. in Urban Studies, September 2016
London, United Kingdom
Dissertation title: “Towards a Revolutionary Architecture of Communal Living – Story of the 1973-84 Steilshoop Project in Hamburg, Germany,” passed with Distinction
Dissertation supervisor: Michał Murawski, Ph.D.
Relevant Courses:
- “Cities in Eastern Europe,” Dr. Michał Murawski, School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES), Jan–Mar 2016
- “Materialist Ecological Architectures,” Dr. Peg Rawes, Bartlett School of Architecture, Jan–Mar 2016
- “Public and Private Modernities,” Prof. Ann Varley, Department of Geography, Oct–Dec 2015
- “Social Science Research Methods,” Dr. Alan Latham, Department of Geography, Oct–Dec 2015
Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
B.A. summa cum laude in Comparative Literature & Society, May 2015
Areas of focus: Social and political theory in 19th– and 20th-century Europe and South Asia – Marx, Weber, Frankfurt school, Subaltern theory
Relevant Courses:
- “Eco-Criticism for the End-Times,” Prof. Marilyn Ivy, Department of Anthropology, Spring 2015
- “Nationalism,” Prof. Partha Chatterjee, Department of Anthropology, Fall 2014
- “Anthropology of Estrangement,” Prof. Michael Taussig, Department of Anthropology, Spring 2012
- “Introduction to Social & Cultural Theory,” Prof. Marilyn Ivy, Department of Anthropology, Fall 2011
AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
Phi Beta Kappa, Columbia University, 2015
Dean’s List, Columbia University, Fall 2011 – Spring 2015
John Jay Scholarship, Columbia University, 2011
RESEARCH INTERESTS
State socialism in China; Post-socialism in China; Danwei; Anthropology of built space; Queer and feminist critiques of built space; Domesticity and the family in China; Historiography of capital and anti-capitalist movements; Anthropocene studies
PRIMARY RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
MSc Dissertation Research, May 2016 – August 2016
- Archival research at the Hamburg State Archives and the Hamburg State & University Library
- Face-to-face interviews with former residents of a housing project
Research for module “Materialist Ecological Architectures” at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, 2016
- Archival research at the London Metropolitan Archives, Tower Hamlets Local History Archives, Bishopsgate Institute Archives
WORK EXPERIENCE
Intern, MARG Publications – Mumbai, India, June 2014 to August 2014
- Designed promotional material for non-profit art magazine
- Organized book launch in New Delhi, India
Research Assistant, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports – Singapore, Singapore, May 2011 to August 2011
- Researched policies for elderly and disabled people in various countries
- Drafted reports for governmental meetings
Gallery Manager and Interpreter, Singapore Biennale – Singapore, Singapore, February 2011 to May 2011
- Interpreted and managed press relations for Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi
- Managed gallery exhibits
ACTIVITIES
Program Host, WKCR Radio – New York City, USA, December 2011 to August 2015
- Hosted programs on Indian Classical Music, and 20th-century Musique Concrète
- Interviewed musicians from the United States, India and Lebanon
Member, Coalition Against Gentrification (CAGe) – New York City, USA, December 2013 to May 2015
- Planned conferences against gentrification and police brutality in neighborhoods surrounding Columbia University
Manager, Dream House – New York City, USA, December 2012 to January 2015
- Managed sound and art installation by artist La Monte Young in Tribeca
LANGUAGES
Excellent speaking, reading and writing proficiency in English, Chinese (Mandarin), French, German and Japanese
Limited speaking, reading and writing proficiency in Polish
Limited speaking proficiency in Cantonese
Basic speaking, reading and writing proficiency in Hindi
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