My Profile

A Chinese researcher based in Lisbon, Portugal, Kaian received advanced research training in Europe, where she completed a master’s degree in African Studies (AS) and is scheduled to defend an AS doctoral thesis briefly. Her work was field-based, and involved prolonged, direct contact with people on the ground. Although she chose to concentrate on Cape Verdeans in her research writings, she took a broad selection of specialised courses and seminars on Africa. She continues to follow contemporary African issues and diasporic discussions closely and counts Angolans, Mozambicans, Guineans and Sao-Tomeans among her confidant/es. Being the first Chinese Africanist in Portugal, Kaian is multilingual (fully proficient in English and Portuguese and strong in French and Kabuverdianu) and dedicated to understanding Lusophone Africa. She is well-connected and very active academically, professionally and civically. She attended major AS conferences in France, Germany and the UK, participated in renowned summer school and training programmes in Europe, and received several academic distinctions and incentives. Her scholarly works are published or are being considered by top-tier journals in Portugal, Italy, Australia, Canada, the US and UK. Find out more about her latest cultural and creative endeavours: creolescape.com.