Biography
Manon Laurent, PhD, is a political sociologist whose research focuses on education, nationalism, and state-society relations in China. She earned dual doctorates in 2023—one in Political Science from Concordia University and another in Sociology from Université Paris Cité. During her Master’s thesis, she analyzed nationalist narratives embedded in Mandarin-language textbooks. Her doctoral research investigates how the commodification of education and China’s integration into global normative frameworks are transforming parents into political actors. As a postdoctoral researcher, she examined the educational trajectories of children of Chinese origin living in France and explored parenting practices within Chinese diaspora families. Her current work investigates how authoritarian states shape parenting norms through public initiatives and regulatory frameworks that often advance natalist and nationalist agendas.
Dr. Laurent’s methodology blends qualitative interviews with discourse analysis, supported by computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS). Drawing on extensive academic training across Canada, France, and the People’s Republic of China, Dr. Laurent brings a unique transnational perspective to her work. She has published in Pacific Affairs, Mouvements, and Urbanités. In her current role within the French public service, she contributes to the design of civil service training programs and the development of future policy cadres.
