The Uses of Cuteness: Gender, Identity Politics, and Elections in Taiwan

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC | Hsin-I Sydney Yueh (PhD, University of Iowa) is Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Missouri. Her research examines how culture shapes communication in various groups and communities. A major focus of her research is the role of language in intercultural communication. She attends to how cultural factors and power structure influence individuals to compose, perform, and respond to persuasive messages. Her book Identity Politics and Popular Culture in Taiwan: A Sajiao Generation (Lexington, 2016) received the Outstanding Book Award for the International and Intercultural Communication Division at the 2018 National Communication Association (NCA) convention. The earlier version of this book was awarded the Outstanding Dissertation Award in the Language and Social Interaction Division at the 2013 NCA conference. Yueh takes both interpretive and critical approaches to scholarship. Yueh’s research has been published in NCA journals, such as Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, and Critical Studies of Media Communication, in addition to specialty journals focusing on East Asia, China, and Taiwan. She has also presented her work and received top paper awards at a number of regional and national conferences.

Yueh was the recipient of a Taiwan Fellowship in 2021, which allowed her to observe politicians’ persuasive rhetoric in Taiwan’s election culture. In addition to her memberships for several U.S.-based communication associations, she serves on the board of directors (2020–2023) for North American Taiwan Studies Association (NATSA) to promote Taiwan studies in North America.