Dr Zheng Liu

I am Lecturer in Innovation Management at the University of Bristol Business School, where I am affiliated with the Work and Organisation Academic Group and Bristol Digital Futures Institute. I obtained my PhD in Sociology from the University of Cambridge, where I am, or was previously, affiliated with Queens and Jesus Colleges, the Department of Sociology, and Cambridge Digital Humanities. Previously, I have also held Research Fellowships and Visiting Scholarships at the University of Macau and Tsinghua University. I have served as an External Examiner for the University of Cambridge and as an Expert Reviewer for various international funding bodies, including European Research Council, ESRC, the German Research Foundation, SSHRC (Canada), the Research Grant Council of Hong Kong, and the Swiss National Science Foundation. A member of the British Sociological Association, I co-convene its Theory Study group.

My research is broadly concerned with understanding how cultural processes, technological innovations, and business practices intersect to shape social and economic life. I am particularly interested in examining these dynamics in two empirical, or thematic, domains: the cultural and creative industries, especially the book industry, and the high-tech sector, particularly AI innovation and the digital economy. I have published impactful work cross both domains. In addition to my empirical research, I have a strong interest in social theory, which constitutes the third pillar of my research programme. My thinking is particularly influenced by the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu and the political economy tradition. Finally, grounded in my teaching on digitalisation and digital innovation, I am also strongly interested in the theories of digitalisation and digital innovation.

Theoretically, my work adopts an eclectic approach, influenced by perspectives drawn from cultural sociology, economic sociology, innovation studies, business studies, the political economy of culture and technology, and China studies. Methodologically, I mainly use qualitative research methods, including interviews, observation and documentary/archival analysis, although I also draw on secondary data from various data sources, especially digital data.

Selected Publications:

Cultural Mavericks: The Business and Politics of Independent Bookselling in China | Columbia University Press

Sociological perspectives on artificial intelligence: A typological reading - Liu - 2021 - Sociology Compass - Wiley Online Library

Current projects:

1. The Social Structure of China’s AI industry (funded by British Academy and Sino-British Fellowship Trust). I apply – and develop – Bourdieu’s Field Theory to identify and analyse the key sets of players, including their relationships and interactions, that constitute and shape the field of AI innovation in China, using both primary and secondary data.
2. A Game Changer or Just Another Tool: Understanding AI’s ‘Real Impact’ on Trade Book Publishing in China. I seek to critically understand how AI is transforming book publishing in China, with a particular focus on how it is shifting practitioners’ perceptions of such key publishing concepts and practices as creativity, authorship and authenticity, and intellectual property.

Things I Currently Teach or Have Previously Taught on:

Digitalisation/Digital Transformation

Digital Innovation

Business Model and Business Model Innovation 

Sociology of Media, Culture and Technology

Qualitative Research Methods

PhD Supervision:

I am interested in supervising PhD projects in the following domains:

1. Innovation, including business model innovation and digital innovation

2. Digitalisation/digital transformation

3. Social/sociological study of AI, digital technology, the tech industry, tech labour

4. The cultural and creative industries (book publishing, cultural tourism, etc.)

5. Chinese society and economy

Prospective PhD students – please email me your CV and a research proposal. Please note that proposals with heavy AI use will be ignored straightaway. Authenticity and originality weigh more than fake perfection in my book.