Xiao Di Tong’s academic pursuits center on the intersections of race, identity, and cultural expression in literature. She is particularly focused on the dynamics of the Harlem Renaissance and its profound impact on contemporary narratives and black modernist writers such as Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Claude McKay.

She has completed an academic prospectus and Advanced Independent Study on Nella Larsen's Passing (1929). She argues:

Thesis: Nella Larsen’s Passing rejects W.E.B. Du Bois’ theory that the "double consciousness" can be merged into a unified "better and truer self."
The Conflict: Unlike Du Bois’ hopeful synthesis, Larsen suggests that for a passing subject, one side of the identity must be sacrificed for the other to survive.
Character Symbolism:
Clare Kendry: Represents the "Negro" self—the unconscious, erotic, and unstable.
Irene Redfield: Represents the "American" self—rigid, conventional, and seeking stability.
Conclusion of Argument: Clare’s death is interpreted not as a tragic accident, but as a symbolic repudiation of the double self. By "existing" Clare from the narrative, the "Negro" consciousness is denied so the "American" consciousness (Irene) can be preserved.

Xiao Di Tong has engaged in extensive study of African American Literature, focusing on the Black Experience, the traditions of slave narratives, and the complexities of race and racial identity under the guidance of Guy Mark Foster.

She then studied with Alice Deck (African American Studies Program) in 2011 in an independent study, examining the intervention in Contemporary Cultural Studies and whether it is necessary or reckless to conflate these constructs.

Influences