Staff Profiles

Jui-shan Chang Phone: 8344 5933/ 93446565 Mobile: 0403931097 Email: juisc@unimelb.edu.au Or juishan.chang@gmail.com Office: Medley Building Room 435

Background

Dr Jui-shan Chang received a BA and a MA in sociology from National Taiwan University. She was an executive producer for a TV current affairs program in Taiwan before studying at the University of Michigan where she received a PhD in sociology. She has been an academic for two decades in the US and Australia. She had worked at the Institute for Social Research at University of Michigan and the East-West Centre in Hawaii—both were the world’s leading institutes in cutting edge social research. She had also taught at University of Tasmania and University of Iowa before joining in the Sociology Program at University of Melbourne in 1997.

She studies social trends and issues historically, cross-culturally, cross-nationally and globally, integrating both quantitative and qualitative approaches. She has track records in publishing at top international journals and presses in social sciences as well as winning prestigious international research grants and fellowships. Her research areas include multiple modernities; life course transitions, self, manhood/womanhood, marriage, family and sexuality in diverse cultures; globalism and localism; cross-cultural encounter and culturally informed social policy and services; secularisation and modern religions; cultural mediators, modulators and intelligentsia in contemporary China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The book, Social Change and Family in Taiwan (University of Chicago Press, 1994), she has significantly contributed to, won the 1995 ‘Otis Dudley Duncan Award’ given by the American Sociological Association and the ‘Goode Distinguished Book Award’ given by the Population Association of America. She is a referee for leading international refereed journals and academic publishers.

She has developed a notion called 'Trans-cultural Wisdom Bank' regarding the practical implications of her research works on everyday life as well as innovative pedagogy to make cultural diversity and comparative perspectives key resources for learning. She has extensive experience in teaching both quantitative and qualitative social research, and providing in-house training to junior researchers in major universities in the US and Australia. In addition to being a passionate social researcher herself, she has a capacity to motivate, inspire, inform and transform people to do rigorous social research. In 2007 she won a national teaching excellence award (Carrick Citations) and a Dean’s Teaching Award at the University of Melbourne.

Currently, she is an honourary Senior Fellow at University of Melbourne and working on projects of comparative analysis of civilizations and ‘multiple modernities’. She is also an Account Director at DBM Consultants in Melbourne, conducting social and market research in Australia and internationally. At DBM, she is involved with quantitative and qualitative ad-hoc research as well as provides quality assurance to both research streams.

At leisure she is interested in Lacanian psychoanalysis and enjoys creative writing.

Awards

2007 National Teaching Excellence Award (Carrick Citations), Australia

2007 Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award, University of Melbourne.

Research

My core interests are studying social trends and issues from a comparative perspective —historically, cross-culturally, cross-nationally and globally. I am interested in integrating both quantitative and qualitative approaches in the study of such trends and issues. My research publications have dealt with the self, life course, manhood/womanhood, marriage, family and sexuality in diverse cultures. I am currently working on a research project dealing with the ethics of piety and the spirit of Confucian modernity — cultural ideals envisioned by elites in contemporary China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

With my cross-cultural research, I have developed a notion called ‘trans-cultural wisdom bank’—a repository of 'solutions' to recurrent problems that beset the human condition to overcome the fact that no single culture has managed to solve all or most of these recurrent problems. This ‘wisdom bank’ can broaden the views of people, giving them a larger range of options on how to approach important issues, major values, social institutions and processes. I have also incorporated this ‘wisdom bank’ notion in my pedagogy to make cultural diversity and comparative perspectives key resources for learning. In 2007 this innovative pedagogy now recognized by a national teaching excellence award (Carrick Citations) in Australia and a Dean’s teaching excellence award at the University of Melbourne.

I am a regular contributor to thethe media and enjoy creative writing.

Research and Supervision

• Multiple Modernities
• Confucian Modernity
• East-West Sexuality
• Social Trends in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan
• Globalism and Localism
• Culture and Everyday Life
• Manhood and Womanhood in Contemporary Societies
• Marriage, Family and Relationships
• Life Course Transitions
• Secularisation and Modern Religions
• The Sociology of Advisory System
• Cross-cultural Encounter and Social Services

Current Research Project

Meal versus Game -- Cross-Cultural Sociological Research into the Embedded Meanings of Sex
Principle investigator: Dr Jui-shan Chang

This research challenges the adequacy of much research into sexual practices in different societies that has reported a ubiquitous trend towards 'permissiveness' due to modernization and globalization. Such Kinsey inspired research compares rates of specific sexual practices across different societies, presuming that sexual behaviors have the same meanings everywhere. This research proposes a cross-cultural sociological approach to locate sexual practices within a more fundamental level -namely the embedded meaning of sex. The 'embedded meaning of sex' can only emerge through cross-cultural contrasts of different definitions and configurations regarding human nature, sex, self, human relations, marriage, family and the recognition and validation of being a man, a woman or a 'decent' human. Without cross-cultural contrasts on these deeper configurations, the embedded meanings of sex cannot be made visible, because people in the same culture would take it for granted what sex means within that culture. Cross-cultural contrasts can show the different possibilities, and people in any specific culture have a distinct 'home base' regarding the embedded meaning of sex that operates. This research illustrates a cross-cultural sociological approach to reveal different embedded meanings of sex in two cultural contexts- each is based on a major world religion, Confucianism and Christianity respectively. Different metaphors and embedded meaning of sex emerge from such cross-cultural contrasting: 'meal' for 'sustenance' in Chinese contexts versus 'game' for 'individual recognition, validation and completion' in Western contexts.

Funded by: Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation For International Scholarly Exchange Research Grant

Recent Publications

Book Chapters

Chang, Jui-shan. 2000. "Familial Values, Gender Politics and Meanings of Infidelity: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Extra-Marital Affairs." Chapter 4 of Section 2 in Miller, R. and S. Browning (eds.) With This Ring: Divorce, Intimacy, and Cohabitation From a Multi-Cultural Perspective. JAI Press. Pp. 185-218.

Chang, Jui-shan with Fricke, T. and L. S. Yang. 1994. "Historical and ethnographic Perspectives on the Chinese Family." Chapter 2 in Thornton, A. and H. S. Lin (eds) Social Change and the Family in Taiwan. University of Chicago Press. pp. 22-48.

Chang, Jui-shan with Thornton, A., T. Fricke and L. S. Yang. 1994. "Theoretical Mechanisms of Family Change" Chapter 4 in Social Change and the Family in Taiwan. University of Chicago Press. pp. 88-115.

Chang, Jui-shan with Thornton, A. and H. S. Lin. 1994. "From Arranged Marriage Toward Love Match." Chapter 6 in Social Change and the Family in Taiwan. University of Chicago Press. pp. 178-201.

Chang, Jui-shan with Thornton, A. and L. S. Yang. 1994. "Determinants of Historical Changes in Marital Arrangements, Dating, and Premarital Sexual Intimacy and Pregnancy." Chapter 7 in Social Change and the Family in Taiwan. University of Chicago Press. pp. 225-244.

Chang, Jui-shan with Thornton, A., H. S. Lin, and L. S.Yang.1994. "Determinants of Historical Changes in Marital Timing." Chapter 9 in Social Change and the Family in Taiwan. University of Chicago Press. pp. 225-244.

Journal Articles

Chang, Jui-shan. 2006. “A Trans-cultural Wisdom Bank in the Classroom: Making Cultural Diversity a Key Resource in Teaching and Learning.” Journal of Studies in International Education 10(4):369–377.

Chang, Jui-shan. 2004. "Refashioning Womanhood in 1990s' Taiwan: An Analysis of Taiwanese Edition of Cosmopolitan Magazine." Modern China (30)3: 361-397.

Chang, Jui-shan. 2003. Book review on "Private Life Under Socialism: Love, Intimacy, and Family Change in a Chinese Village 1949-1999." (Authored by Yunxiang Yan. California: Stanford University Press, 2003) American Journal of Sociology 109(3): 783-784.

Chang, Jui-shan. 2003. "Encumbered Womanhood." The Drawing Board: An Australian Review of Public Affairs, 21 May.

Chang, Jui-shan. 2000. "Agony-Resolution Pathways: How American Men are Perceived by Women in the Agony Column of Cosmopolitan." Journal of Men's Studies 8(3): 285-308.

Chang, Jui-shan. 1999. "Do We Need 'Kinsey Reports' in Chinese Societies?- An Alternative Paradigm to Study Chinese Sexuality." Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars 31 (Spring issue): 40-42.

Chang, Jui-shan. 1999. "Scripting Extra-Marital Affairs: Marital Mores, Gender Politics and Infidelity in Taiwan" Modern China 25(1): 69-99.

Chang, Jui-shan, Tsang, A, Lui, P. K. and R. S. Lin. 1997. "Premarital Sexual Mores in Taiwan and Hong Kong: Two Pathways to Permissiveness." Journal of Asian and African Studies 32(3/4): 265-285.

Chang, Jui-shan, 1996. "Negotiating Sexual Permissiveness in a Contemporary Chinese Setting: Young People in Taipei." International Journal of Sociology of the Family. 26 (1): 13-36.

Chang, Jui-shan, 1996. "What Do Education and Work Mean? --Education, Non familial Work/Living Experiences and Premarital Sex for Women in Taiwan." Journal of Comparative Family Studies XXVII(1): 13-40.

Chang, Jui-shan, 1994. "Change and Persistence: Autonomy of Dating, Engagement and Premarital Sex among Women in Taiwan." Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology 30 (2): 132-148.

Chang, Jui-shan, 1994. Book review on "Social Research" authored by S. Sarantakos. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology 30 (2): 211-212.

Refereed Conference Papers

Chang, J. S. 2007. “Culturally Informed Services—A Research Agenda Proposing Innovative Strategies for Family Relationship Centres.” Proceedings of the 2007 Australian and New Zealand Sociological Association Conference. 10pp.

Chang, J. S. 2007. “Harmony, Piety and Modernity—Cultural Ideals Envisioned by Elites in  Greater China.” Proceedings of the 2007 Australian and New Zealand Sociological Association Conference. 10pp.

Chang, Jui-shan. 2006. “Familism and Modernity among Young Chinese — An Exploration into ‘Multiple Modernities.” Proceedings of the 16th Biennial Conference of theAsian Studies Association of Australia. 10pp.

Chang, Jui-shan. 2005. "Are Young People Becoming Less Chinese?" Proceedings of the 2005 Australian and New Zealand Sociological Association Conference. 11pp.

Chang, Jui-shan. 2005. "Sexual Revolution in Chinese Societies?" Refereed proceedings of the 2005 Australian and New Zealand Sociological Association Conference. 10pp.