Liang Wu
Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Associations
Anthropology
Pettengill Hall, Room 159
About
Prof. Liang Wu’s teaching and research focus is on blue humanities, political economy, and critical mobility, globalization, maritime, science and technology, labor, environmental, and policy studies. Since 2006, through ethnographic fieldwork at ports, onboard, overseas, and online, he has been studying the lifeworlds and lifeways of seafarers – maritime workers delivering 90% of international trade who largely come from the Global South regions of Asia. His work specifically delves into the technoeconomic, infrastructural, legal, geographical, social, and environmental conditions and ramifications of container shipping in the postwar era.
Prof. Wu speaks more than six languages and as a first-generation and international graduate student in the U.S. and now a post-PhD engaged scholar for sustainable and socially-just future, he has been crossing boundaries and bridging academia, policy, and society. He is a former Science Communication and Marine Policy Specialist at the federal government, and is currently an interdisciplinary researcher examining the human dimensions and socio-environmental, international politics and dynamics of what is known as “the 4th Propulsion Revolution.”
Prof. Wu’s classes are dynamic, multimodal, student-oriented, and innovative. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the role of power, the historical and social contexts of various phenomena, as well as the diversity and complexity of humanity. His classes cover a variety of topics and themes, address current affairs and social issues, and enhance students’ analytical and critical thinking and writing, holistic and in-depth case study, and overall collaboration and communication skills.
Book and Documentary Recommendations
Awards
2024 Bates Faculty Development Fund
2024 Waterfront Alliance Waterfront Scholarship
2024 Wenner-Gren Post-PhD Research Grant
2022-23 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship
2021-22 Center for Engaged Scholarship Dissertation Fellowship
2021-22 Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies Dissertation Fellowship
2021 Waterfront Alliance Waterfront Scholarship
2021 Digital Initiatives Connect New York Fellowship
2019-20 Social Science Research Council International Dissertation Research Fellowship
2019-20 Wenner-Gren Dissertation Fieldwork Grant
2019-20 National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant
Expertise
Current Courses
Fall Semester 2024
ANTH 101
Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 251
Peoples of the Sea: Sailors, Pirates, Fishers, and More
Winter Semester 2025
ANTH 101
Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 251
Peoples of the Sea: Sailors, Pirates, Fishers, and More