Jingyao Xiang


Welcome! I'm JingyaoXiang(he/him/his) , and I plan to start my PhD student at #UNLV this coming fall. My major fields are comparative politics, with an intended secondary field in American politics. My scholarly interests lie in the intersection of education, politics, and ideology. I have a particular focus on how education, both in its traditional form and a more broadly sense, leads to the formation and retention of political identification in young people, especially within the context of nondemocracies. My research aims to decipher the incredible durability of the contemporary communist regime as it seeks to reimagine education's fundamental purpose and bring it into the modern era. I'm interested in the investigation of societal and political implications of education on ideology and identification in youth. I delve into the origins, mechanisms, and outcomes of identity building efforts over various stages of intellectual development and moral cultivation. Put simply, my research thematics include political identification, socialization, political and ideological education, political indoctrination theories. In addition, my research interests extend to contemporary political parties and their capacity-building. This includes examining the processes and mechanisms by which parties enhance their governing capacity, as well as the challenges and obstacles they face in maintaining their effectiveness, particularly in the midst of a rapidly changing and fast evolving social, economic, and political landscape.

Raised and educated in the PRC and elsewhere, I hold undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in business, administrative management, and education. My professional experience include stints as an entry-level lecturer at a Beijing university (2020-2023), a school adminstrator at an international department at a local university in Wuhan (2017) , in addition to working as interns at a state-owned bank and publishing house (2018). I had a stint at Notre Dame, IN as a research scholar (2019).

Presently, I am contemplating pursuing another advanced degree in the United States to further deepen my research interest in a more extensive and systematic manner. With this decision, I hope to finesse my research skills and hopefully pave the way for a distinct academic career path.

If you would like to connect with me to discuss research topics or have a general dialogue, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at

Email: xiangj1 [at] unlv [dot] nevada [dot] edu

or via Contact Form.

Please find my research here.

Thanks for stopping by.