Zhongyu (Krystal) Wang

Doctoral Student | Kellogg College

About me

Krystal is a DPhil student and international educator, working in higher education and reflecting on global social justice across various country contexts. Her DPhil research critically examines China-Africa higher education cooperation and development, focusing on how African students navigate knowledge politics and make meanings of development in relation to their local realities. Krystal’s interest in university students’ agency also underpins her research on student activism and decolonization movements in Africa and beyond.

Prior to Oxford, Krystal worked at Nelson Mandela University in South Africa as a researcher in Critical University Studies. Earlier in her career, Krystal undertook both administrative and teaching roles at higher education institutions in southwestern China, specializing in undergraduate admissions, student leadership mentoring, and curriculum reform. Alongside her university positions, Krystal engages closely with international NGOs based in the United States, contributing her expertise in Peace and Human Rights Education project management and curriculum development.

Krystal holds an M.A. in International and Comparative Education from Teachers College, Columbia University; an M.A. in Social Policy from the University of York; and a B.A. in Public Administration and Policy from Renmin University of China.

 

Supervisors

Dr Maia Chankseliani and Dr David Mills

 

Publications

  • Wang, Z. K. (in press). Black feminists’ resistance and the intersectional agenda in the #MustFall movements at South African universities. Institute for International and Area Studies, Tsinghua University.

Thesis

South-South Partnership in Higher Education and Geopolitics of Knowledge Beyond Decoloniality: Insights from African Students Studying National Development in China