Chen Liang

My research interests are in the areas of race and ethnicity, political participation, immigration, gender, and transnationalism.

My recent research agenda addresses
1) the way political participation and incorporation shape racial minorities and immigrants’ racialized experiences and identities, as well as their approach to political power,
2) how immigration policies and the racial contexts shape racialized immigrants’ political incorporation
3) the experiences of Asian Americans living outside traditional immigration in the US.

Education

PhD in Sociology, The University of Texas at Austin

MA in Social Science, Humboldt University of Berlin

BA in Political Science and Sociology, National Taiwan University

• Chen Liang. 2026 “The Asian American Unelectability Paradox: How Racialization Shapes Asian American Political Candidates’ and Organizers’ Experiences in a Minority Context.”Sociological Perspectives. Online First. DOI: 10.1177/07311214261438730
• Shapira, Harel, Ken-Hou Lin, Patrick Sheehan, and Chen Liang. 2026. “The Ambivalence Asymmetry: Comparing the Heterogeneity of Gun Attitudes Between Gun Control Supporters and Opponents.” Pp. 116–135 in Handbook on Gun Violence and Society. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. DOI: 10.4337/9781035325207.00012.
• Chen Liang. 2025. “Asian Americans’ Racialized Incorporation into the Political Field.” Social Problems 72(2): 594–610. DOI: 10.1093/socpro/spad061 
• Chen Liang. 2024. “Gendered Panethnic Solidarity: The Experiences of Asian American Women in US Electoral Politics.” Qualitative Sociology 48(1):97–119. DOI: 10.1007/s11133-024-09583-9 
• Shapira, Harel, Chen Liang, and Ken-Hou Lin. 2022. “How Attitudes about Guns Develop over Time.” Sociological Perspectives 65(1):12–34.