Dung-Shiu’s Academic Journey

I’m on my way to becoming a professional sociologist.

Education and Research Interests

Visiting international student, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2025-2026)

  • Graduate-level VISP student

M.A. student, National Taiwan University, Taipei (2024-)

  • Master’s student of the Department of Sociology

B.A., National Taiwan University, Taipei (2019-2024)

  • Bachelor of Sociology, Anthropology (Double Major)

  • Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies Program

  • Certificate in Honors Program of Sociology with Bachelor Thesis:《The Bear in the Room: Queer Temporality and Taiwanese Gay Bear Culture》

Research Interests:

Marriage, Family and Kinship Studies, Feminist Theories, Gender and Sexualities, Intimate Relationships, Social Inequality, Social and Cultural Changes, Qualitative Methods

Research Competency Certificate:

Certified Social Researcher with Expertise in both Qualitative and Quantitative Data Analysis, as recognized by the Taiwanese Sociological Association.

Current Master’s Thesis Project

When Men Fail: The Emotional and Gender Politics of Single and Virgin "Loser" Men in Taiwan

Advising by Wen Liu and Janet Chen-lan Kuo, my thesis investigates the emotional lives and gender politics surrounding men in Taiwan who identify as "losers"—particularly those who are single and sexually inexperienced. Drawing on digital and offline ethnographic methods, textual analysis, and in-depth interviews, I explore how these men articulate their experiences of involuntary celibacy and their relationship status, examining their lived experiences and online interactions. By connecting the structural logic of assortative mating from family sociology with affect theory, my research develops an innovative analytical framework that reveals more profound insights into contemporary gendered inequalities and emotional politics.

This study also critically engages with and extends existing Western scholarship on "Involuntary Celibates (Incels)" by providing nuanced data from a non-Western, non-Anglophone context. In doing so, it sheds new light on global discussions of misogyny, masculinity, and intimate relationships, challenging dominant Western narratives, and contributing fresh theoretical and methodological perspectives relevant not only to Taiwanese society but to broader international conversations in sociology.

Faculty Employment

Adjunct Research Assistant (2021-Present)

  • Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan. (2021-Present)

    • Wen Liu (2024-2026) [NSTC Young Scholars’ Research Program Grant] Civil Defense and Psychological Preparedness: Taiwan’s Grassroots Mobilization for War Preparedness. #NSTC 113 - 2628 - H - 001 - 012 - MY2 Two-year research grant from National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan.

    • Wen Liu (2021-2024) [MOST Grant] The Economics of Belonging: Overseas Returnees’ National Identity Making and Ontological Security. #MOST 110 - 2410 - H - 001 - 097 - MY2 Four-year research grant from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan.

  • Department of Sociology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan. (2023-2024)

    • Min-Sho Ho (2024) on comparative social movement, especially the movement of abolishing the death penalty.

    • Ke-Hsien Huang and John Chung-En Liu (2023) on energy poverty.

Teaching Assistant (2023-present)

  • Introduction of Sociology, Department of Sociology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan. Semesters: 2023 Spring, 2023 Fall, 2024 Spring. 2024 Fall, 2025 Spring.

  • Social Research Methods (2): Qualitative Methods [English-Medium Instruction Class], Department of Sociology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan. Semester: 2025 Spring.

  • Queer Theory, Department of Sociology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan. Semester: 2024 Fall.

Program Assistant (2024-2025)

  • Semester program in Taiwan, Centre Global, Centre College, Danville, Kentucky, U.S.A.

Column Writer (2023-Present)

  • La-Tai-Mei Gender Talk. Foundation for Women’s Rights Promotion and Development, Executive Yuan, Republic of China (Taiwan).

Referred Articles and Academic Presentations

Panel Present

  • 2023 June, “The Bear in the Room: Queer Temporality and Taiwanese Gay Bear Culture.” Panel Presentation at 2023 Annual Conference of North American Taiwan Studies Association “Resistance and Resilience: Repositing Taiwan.” Irvine, California, U.S.A. (in English)

  • 2022 Oct., “The Resistance Possibility from a Marginal Space: Taiwanese Gay Bear Men’s Reparative Practices Against the Homonormativity.” Panel presentation at the 2022 Annual Conference of the Taiwanese Feminist Scholars Association. Taipei, Taiwan. [余東栩，2022，〈邊緣空間的游擊可能性：台灣男同志熊族的正典化修復實作〉。發表於2022台灣女性學會年度研討會「性別、空間、（不）移動」] (in Mandarin)

  • 2021 Oct., “A Wonderland away from Patriarchal Gazes: Bisexual Desire Practices in a College Women Handball Team.” Panel presentation with Wei-An Chen at the 2021 Annual Conference of the Taiwanese Feminist Scholars Association. Online. [余東栩、陳薇安等人，2021，〈逃離父權凝視的桃花源：大學女子手球校隊的雙性情慾實作〉。發表於2021台灣女性學會年度研討會「亞洲、性別、非人權」] (in Madarin)

Round Table Forum

  • 2023 Nov., “Impacts of Sociology: Certificates of Social Investigation.” Round table discussion at the 2023 Annual Conference of the Taiwanese Sociological Association. New Taipei City, Taiwan.

  • 2023 Sep., “Harassment and Discrimination on Campus: How Can We Deal with That?” Round table discussion at the 2023 Annual Conference of Taiwanese Feminist Scholars Association. Taipei, Taiwan.

Journal and Forum Articles

  • Yu, Dung-Shiu, 2023, “Rescaling Gender Equality Education: A Critical Review of National Taiwan University.” Forum in Women's and Gender Studies, 119, 92-101. [余東栩，2023，〈重置性別平等教育尺度：來自臺大經驗的反省〉，《婦研縱橫》，119：92-101] (in Mandarin)

  • (under review) Yu, Dung-Shiu, “The Bear in the Room: The Identity-building of Gay Bears in Taipei.” Router: A Journal of Cultural Studies. [余東栩，〈房間裡的大熊：臺北男同志熊族社群文化與主體打造〉，《婦研縱橫》]

Bachelor Thesis

  • Dung-Shiu, Yu, 2023, The Bear in the Room: Queer Temporality and Taiwanese Gay Bear Culture. Taipei: Department of Sociology, National Taiwan University. Bachelor Thesis. [余東栩，2023，《房間裡的大熊──酷兒時間性與臺灣男同志熊族社群文化初探》。台北：國立臺灣大學社會學系（學士論文）。] (in Mandarin)

Selected Grants, Awards, and Scholarships

MOST Undergraduate Student Research Scholarship (2022-2023)

  • Body, Class and Identity: The Building and Reparation of Taiwanese Gay Bear Men’s Subjectivity. #MOST 111-2813-C-001-023-H Six-month research grant from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan.

Dean’s List Award (2024 Fall, 2021 Fall, 2020 Fall)

如果有人想用文字讓我們忘記什麼，

我們就用文字把那些湮滅的寫回來。

— 吳明益《海風酒店》