Eunchong Cho

I am a Sociology Ph.D. student at the University of California, San Diego, specializing in social movements, youth activism, political mobilization, neoliberalism, political sociology, human rights, comparative historical sociology, and qualitative methods. In my research, I employ a political, cultural, and historical approach to explore how collective actors become politically mobilized, investigating their dynamics within the broader context of political, economic, and historical structures. My current dissertation project explores the rise of “youth” in political prominence, shaping the foundation for political identity and mobilization in the post-2010s era. My overarching sociological inquiries revolve around the factors influencing individuals to develop political consciousness and engage in social movements or collective activism. Specifically, I am interested in understanding the motivations behind the involvement of young people in active political activism. I primarily employ historical analysis as my overarching explanatory method. I am honored to have been selected as a UCSD Human Rights Fellow from UC Berkeley Human Rights Center.

I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from UC Berkeley and a Master’s degree in International Relations from the Institute of Peace Studies at Kyung Hee University in Korea. My involvement includes participating in a Bosnian youth ethnic conflict resolution project, studying North Korean refugees and refugee laws in South Korea, examining second-generation migrant children in South Korea, and exploring disabled online activism in the country. While my initial focus was on racial and ethnic conflicts and refugee crises, my current Ph.D. studies involve a more comprehensive exploration of human rights issues and active engagement in human rights activism.