Baichuan Liu wins the RGS Political Geography Research Group Undergraduate Dissertation Prize
The Royal Geographical Society's Political Geography Research Group has named Baichuan Liu as the winner of the 2022 undergraduate dissertation prize for his dissertation: 'To Make Live Yet Let Die: Biopolitics on the Practices of Targeted Poverty Alleviation in China.'
Baichuan Liu recently graduated from the BA in Geography course at the University of Oxford's School of Geography and the Environment (SoGE). His dissertation explores the practices of poverty alleviation and the ways these practices relate to biopolitics and biopower in rural China.
Commenting on the work, Baichuan said: "I spent around a month across two villages in Western China, conducting interviews and participant observation across multiple stakeholders (village officers, volunteers and villagers) to observe and understand the ways in which poverty alleviation practices have an everyday impact on their lives. My findings have shown the incessant drive of capitalist forces were transforming villagers into urban consumers, and the imperfections of these transitions have severe exclusionary consequences. I believe that this research does not solely contribute to the conceptualisations of biopolitics, but also highlights the ways in which poverty alleviation may incur unintended consequences."
Overall, the panel said it was 'impressed by the conception and execution of this outstanding piece'.
On receiving the award, Baichuan comments: "Winning this prize meant a lot to me, especially given that English is not my first language. On the one hand, this prize really encourages me to consider a potential career in the academia, as I am very intellectually interested in the ways in which the field of development can be theorised. On the other hand, winning this prize consolidates my passion onto working in a field; the fieldwork experiences I had in Western China were unforgettable, despite all sorts of difficulties."
Baichuan is currently pursuing a double master of public administration at the LSE and Columbia SIPA and hopes to work in international development in the future.
Each year, the Royal Geographical Society's Research Groups recognise outstanding work from undergraduate and postgraduate students at higher education institutions both in the UK and overseas. More information about the prize is available on the RGS website.
Baichuan Liu wins the RGS Political Geography Research Group Undergraduate Dissertation Prize
The Royal Geographical Society's Political Geography Research Group has named Baichuan Liu as the winner of the 2022 undergraduate dissertation prize for his dissertation: 'To Make Live Yet Let Die: Biopolitics on the Practices of Targeted Poverty Alleviation in China.'
