Zoey (Yuan) Zhang
MSc in Digital Sociology (with Distinction)
School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh
MSc Dissertation:
Zhang, Z. (2021). The assembling blockchain market: Imagining futures
Situated at the intersection of economic sociology and digital technology, this study explores how blockchain is utilized as a tool for diverse actors to enact alternatives to the structural crises of contemporary capitalism. Through the dual lens of assemblage theory and the sociology of fictional expectations, the research examines how material and symbolic resources are leveraged to performatively realize visions of a restructured economic future. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 11 blockchain professionals across 5 continents, the research delineates 4 distinct socio-technical imaginaries: institutional social reform, supply-chain transparency, inflation-resistant currency, and the advancement of gender equity.
Zhang, Z., & Verity, A. (2022, August). Humanitarian blockchain: Inventory and recommendations.
As emerging technologies are increasingly integrated into humanitarian response, critical questions arise regarding their practical utility, ethical implications, and long-term impact on marginalized populations. In collaboration with Andrej Verity (UNOCHA), these publications examine the capacity of blockchain and digital identity systems to support humanitarian action while safeguarding the dignity, agency, and self-representation of displaced communities. This research is grounded in a dual-methodological approach, combining case analyses of large-scale aid projects delivered by UN agencies with qualitative interviews conducted with frontline humanitarian practitioners.