Qiran Shang

Qiran Shang (she/her) is a Ph.D. candidate in the History and Theory of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on histories of everyday urban landscapes, queer spaces, and geographies of resistance. Her dissertation examines the production of queer spaces in Shanghai and Beijing between 1978 and 2019, tracing the conditions and tactics of queer spatial practices in relation to China’s postsocialist political economy and urban governance. Her work has been supported by the Graham Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, the Society of Architectural Historians, among others.

CONFERENCES AND PRESENTATIONS

• “The Lai Lai Dance Hall: Queering Postsocialist Dance Spaces in Shanghai, 1987-2019," Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) Annual International Conference, Montreal, Spring 2023. 
• “Pleasure and Activism: Queer Women’s Entertainment Spaces in Beijing, 1994-2005,” Urban Humanities Network (Un)Conference, Tucson, Spring 2023. 
• “Enchantment of Enjoyment: Leisure Spaces as Sites of Dissidence,” Universities Art Association of Canada (UAAC) Annual Conference, Toronto, Fall 2022. Session Chair (Co-chair: Dijia Chen). 
• “The Lai Lai Dance Hall: Precarity, Resistance, and Reclamation of Urban Spaces in Shanghai’s Queer Dance Scene, 1987-2019.” Architecture PhD Precarity Conference, Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania, Spring 2022.