Korea Expert Paul Y. Chang Joins FSI as Senior Fellow
Korea Expert Paul Y. Chang Joins FSI as Senior Fellow
A leading sociologist of Korea, Professor Chang’s scholarship has influenced a number of subfields such as democratization, social movements, political repression, and demographic transition.
The Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University is pleased to announce that Paul Y. Chang has been appointed the Tong Yang, Korea Foundation, and Korea Stanford Alumni Association Senior Fellow, effective September 1, 2024.
Chang is based at FSI’s Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC), where he will continue to research social and political change in South Korea. He will also teach in FSI’s Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy Program.
“We are truly fortunate to have Paul returning to Stanford and joining APARC,” said Gi-Wook Shin, the William J. Perry Professor of Contemporary Korea and the director of APARC and the Korea Program. "An exceptionally talented and dedicated scholar, he is a globally recognized expert on South Korean society, and his innovative comparative research on the dynamics of democratization and demographics will be pivotal in advancing the mission of the Korea Program and our center. We eagerly anticipate the fresh perspectives and insights Paul will bring to our academic community."
Prior to joining FSI, Chang was an Associate Professor of Sociology at Harvard University and was the 2019-2020 Joy Foundation Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. He is the author of Protest Dialectics: State Repression and South Korea’s Democracy Movement, 1970-1979 (Stanford University Press) and co-editor of South Korean Social Movements: From Democracy to Civil Society (Routledge). His research on social movements, state repression, and Korean society has appeared in several flagship disciplinary and area studies journals.
“It is a true privilege to return to Stanford to be a part of the Korea Program housed at FSI-APARC. I look forward to collaborating with and learning from the many wonderful colleagues at FSI and the larger Stanford academic community,” said Chang.
A leading sociologist of Korea, Professor Chang’s scholarship has influenced a number of subfields such as democratization, social movements, political repression, and demographic transition. Much of his research uses rigorous data analyses drawing on both qualitative and quantitative data, such as historical archives, focused interviews, and protest event data, to make important contributions in Korean studies.
“I am excited to welcome Paul to FSI,” said Michael McFaul, director of the Freeman Spogli Institute. “He is an excellent addition to our Korea Program, and our faculty and staff will all benefit greatly from the ingenuity he brings to his research and the classroom.”
Beyond Stanford, Professor Chang participates in several professional associations, including serving as the president of the Association of Korean Sociologists in America in 2024-2025. He earned his B.A. from UC Santa Cruz, M.A. degrees from Harvard Divinity School, UCLA, and Stanford, and completed his Ph.D. from Stanford’s Sociology Department in 2008.
