Tianyi Bai

China, transgender and queer studies, futurity

Tianyi Bai is interested in transgender and queer studies and inter-Asian queer culture in general, and Chinese trans/queer lifeways in particular. Tianyi’s current research project is situated at the intersection of anthropological and queer studies on marginality, futurity, and transness. The project seeks to understand Chinese trans peoples’ lifeways by paying particular attention to how they interact with futural indeterminacies. In doing so, Tianyi hopes to explore the intricate interconnections among geopolitical configurations, gendered national imaginaries, and lived precarity that shape local transgender livability.

      Before joining Boston University, Tianyi completed their B.A. (summa cum laude) in Anthropology and Classics from Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO (2017-2021). Their undergraduate thesis titled “Ethnicity and Religion: The Hui in Zhengzhou” focuses on the Hui, an ethnic group categorized based on their supposed Muslim identity, and explores the historical particularities of Chinese secularism and the constitution of minzu (ethnicity/nationality) as well as their marginalizing impact on Chinese Muslim communities.