ABOUT
kimcraig is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Anthropology at Brandeis University, with an expected graduation date of May 2026. Her research examines Chinese masculinity, queer kinship, and singlehood, with particular attention to the estimated 40 million involuntary bachelors (shengnan) who face barriers to marriage amid China’s pronounced gender imbalance. She is especially interested in how these men are represented in popular media and how such portrayals shape broader national narratives about family, demographic crisis, and social stability.
kimcraig's interest in the lived effects of family-planning policies began while teaching English as a foreign language in Beijing from 2013 to 2014. In the classroom, she frequently invited students to share personal stories, and she was struck by the pervasive influence of anti-natalist policies on their intimate and familial lives. These encounters ultimately led her to pursue graduate training in sociocultural anthropology in order to examine these dynamics more deeply and systematically.
She earned her M.A. in Sociocultural Anthropology from Binghamton University, where she developed a strong foundation in contemporary ethnographic theory and methodology. Her master’s thesis explored virtual methods of ethnographic inquiry, reflecting her longstanding interest in innovative research design and emerging fieldwork modalities.
Originally trained as a visual storyteller, kimcraig holds a B.F.A. in Film from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She integrates visual design into both her scholarship and pedagogy, incorporating photography, illustration, animation, infographics, and film to make complex ideas more accessible. This multimodal approach reflects her commitment to public-facing anthropology and to ensuring that academic knowledge extends beyond traditional written formats.
In recent years, she has continued to integrate visual and interactive elements into her teaching. She has taught Anthropology of Gender at Brandeis University and “What’s a Family?” at Harvard University, designing lectures that employ diagrams, photographs, and conceptual maps to clarify abstract theoretical frameworks. She also co-designed DOXA, a board game that introduces students to anthropological concepts such as habitus, embodiment, and gender theory. A critical reimagining of the game of LIFE, DOXA invites players to navigate cultural expectations amid structural constraints—including oppressive governance, restrictive laws, war, famine, and resource scarcity—offering an immersive and reflexive approach to learning social theory.
