Zhenxiang Chen

Dr. Zhenxiang Chen - Profile

Zhenxiang (Zeke) Chen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Saint Mary’s University (SMU). He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2021. He was a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Sociology at McGill University before joining SMU.

His research focuses on the social stratification, mobility, and inequality of migrants, with an emphasis on the assimilation and integration of rural-to-urban migrants and international migrants from the life-course and social psychology perspectives.

His research has been published in International Migration Review, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Population, Space and Place, and Journal of International Migration and Integration, among others. He teaches courses on Social Research Methods and Social Inequality.

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles:

Chen, Zhenxiang and Xiaoguang Fan. Forthcoming. “Intention and Perceived Control: International Migrants’ Assimilation in China.” Journal of International Migration and Integration.

Chen, Zhenxiang and Xiaoguang Fan. 2022. “Transnationalism and Migrant Entrepreneurship: A Case Study of Self-Employed Foreigners in Hangzhou, China.” Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship 34(4): 443-474.

Chen, Zhenxiang, Yao Lu, and Donald J. Treiman. 2022. “Determinants and Consequences of Rural-to-urban Migration Patterns in China: Evidence from Sequence Analysis.” Population, Space and Place 28(2): 1-28.

Chen, Zhenxiang. 2021. “How the choice of reference group matters: economic integration of rural-to-urban migrants in China.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 47(19): 4428-4456.

Zheng, Wenjuan, Zhenxiang Chen, and Paul Ong. 2019. “Environmental Philanthropy and Civic Engagement: A Comparison of Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.” The China Nonprofit Review 11(2):328-364.

Duquette-Rury, Lauren, and Zhenxiang Chen. 2019. “Does international migration affect political participation? Evidence from multiple data sources across Mexican municipalities, 1990–2013.” International Migration Review 53(3):798-830.

Chen, Zhenxiang, and Kayuet Liu. 2018. “Assimilation of China’s rural-to-urban migrants: A multidimensional process.” Chinese Journal of Sociology 4(2):188-217.