​

I'm a visiting assistant professor at the Department of Political Science, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
 
While I am most excited by works that cut across traditional sub-disciplines, most of my interests lie somewhere in foreign policy, conflict, diplomacy and 'everyday politics,' with a focus on Northeast Asia- mainly, the People's Republic of China (PRC), Taiwan, the two Koreas, and Japan. I realize that my research trajectory may seem a bit 'scattered,' but I want to write more about more and more, not less about less and less.

I am working on my ​book manuscript, which centers around the business of nationalism, where I argue that as businesses involved with territorial sovereignty (and the consumption thereof) become embedded in everyday life, public interest in the issue becomes entrenched. The work straddles the fields of comparative politics with its subject matter of nationalism within the regional scope of Northeast Asia, but also International Relations (IR) by circumscribing nationalism to sentiments surrounding territorial disputes.

Outside of academics, I am a sucker for good narratives, which may explain my avid consumption of stand-up comedy. I also practice yoga and have plans to someday go back to playing the violin and trumpet. (More recently, I have discovered a new passion for playing detective board games.)

You can reach me at:
jiunbang[A] umass.edu