About Me
I am a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at Yale University and an incoming Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University’s Weatherhead Scholars Program (beginning January 2026).
As a decolonial feminist sociologist, my research and teaching explore the intersections of gender, sexuality, family, care, space and place, with a focus on South Korea and transnational feminist and queer movements.
My book project, The Rise of Heterosexual Refusal: Gender Politics and Family Change in South Korea, asks how political consciousness takes shape and what it means to refuse as a way of seeking social change. I examine how young South Korean women’s refusals of sex, dating, marriage, and childbearing are not only reshaping everyday gender relations but also reveal where heterosexuality stands within the broader terrain of contemporary gender politics and family change. Drawing on more than 130 in-depth life history interviews and ongoing fieldwork, I theorize refusal not simply as withdrawal but as a collective praxis forged through ambivalence, exhaustion, critique, and reimagination.
Beyond my book project, my broader research agenda reflects a sustained engagement with feminist geography, exploring how meanings of place and belonging are shaped through care, exclusion, and crisis. In my studies of “no-kids zones” in South Korea, I analyze how commercial bans on children and caregivers expose deeper ideological conflicts around family and market life, while my work on COVID-19 shows how an epidemic transformed everyday geographies of intimacy, friendship, and safety—at times offering protection through networks of care, and at other times heightening vulnerabilities to racialized violence.
As a teacher, I am committed to building classrooms where students feel prepared, supported, and empowered to connect sociology to the urgent challenges of our world. I scaffold assignments so students gain confidence at every stage, cultivate collaborative learning communities, and create space for thoughtful, respectful discussion of difficult topics.
In the meantime, I enjoy knitting cozy pieces for winter and handbuilding pottery—art-making practices that are practical, grounding, and often shared in the spirit of mutual aid. I also love playing with (and being cared for by) Bingsu, and I’m a bit of a pickleball addict!
Meera Choi 