Shenghua Zhang
Key information
- Roles
- Department of Politics and International Studies Post-Doctoral Research Associate
- Qualifications
- BA (Guangdong University of Finance and Economics), MA (Sun Yat-sen University), MRes (SOAS), PhD (SOAS)
- Email address
- sz26@soas.ac.uk
- Thesis title
- Populism, Representational Crisis, and Party Organisational Development in Thailand: The Persistence of Pro-Thaksin Parties since 2001
- Internal Supervisors
- Dr Carlo Bonura, Professor Dafydd Fell & Professor Rachel V Harrison
Biography
Shenghua completed his PhD in Politics and International Studies at SOAS in 2024. He specialises in contentious politics in Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on the interaction of formal representation and counter-hegemonic struggles in Thailand. His thesis examined the various forms of Thai populism through an analysis of the discursive repertoires of opposing forces at the level of party politics.
His current project Populism Reloaded: Political Representation and Realignments in Thailand’s New Era is hosted by the Department of Politics and International Studies. This project is based on his PhD research, aiming to extend the original analysis to further explore the political realignments and the increasingly salient generational divide in Thailand since the 2023 general election. It pays special attention to how digital platforms have not only amplified these new dynamics but also become significant sites of political contestation themselves.
Shenghua holds an MRes in Politics with Khmer and Thai from SOAS, and an MA in International Relations from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China. He has also taught undergraduate modules on postcolonial theory and Chinese politics in the Department of Politics and International Studies at SOAS.
Research interests
Populism, social movements, and party politics in Southeast Asia
The impact of digital media on polarised societies
China’s public diplomacy