Ke Li

By training, I am a sociologist and a socio-legal scholar. My research, broadly speaking, focuses on law and society in contemporary China. In a decade or so, I have mainly studied divorce litigation in Chinese society. This study has led to several publications, including a book, Marriage Unbound: State Law, Power, and Inequality in Contemporary China (Stanford University Press 2022).

In recent years, I have branched out into new research areas. In one project, I team up with colleagues in mainland China to explore impact litigation. More specifically, we examine how Chinese experts, such as academics, lawyers, and medical professionals, aid the cause of LGBTQ groups by launching legal action to contest not only individual rights—but public knowledge of homosexuality, mental health, and equal employment opportunity.

In another project, I deepen my inquiries into dispute resolution, rights contention, and knowledge production–through the lens of doctor-patient disputes in China. In the years to come, I will conduct ethnographic and archival research to address the following questions: Why and how have Chinese hospitals served as a breeding ground for violent conflicts between medical staff and individuals in need of care? How does the healthcare system respond to the steady rise of doctor-patient disputes? What procedures or mechanisms have been applied to tackle such disputes? How often, on whom, and with what outcomes? How have the latest economic reforms affected doctor-patient relationships, access to medical services, and the linkage between health and social inequality? Eventually, in what ways can a study of medical disputes inform us of the complex interplay of economic reforms, state laws, and knowledge contestation in a transitional society?