The Spatial Study of Chinese Religions and Society

The Spatial Study of Christianity in China (2011-2014)

The Center on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University and the China Data Center at the University of Michigan are pleased to announce the project of “Establishing a Spatial Information Network for the Study of Christianity in China” supported by Henry Luce Foundation. The project aims at promoting research, teaching, learning, and training on the studies of Chinese Christianity. The project will develop a spatial information platform with spatial intelligence technology, which will enable a variety of data derived from different sources and formats to be incorporated into a singular system to create dynamic maps, and enable powerful geo-spatial analysis to yield new insights into Christianity and society in China by integrating social, economic, demographic, religious, and geographical information. It is expected that the project will enhance the scholarship on the subject and provide effective assistance in support of scholars’ research through 1) developing their research interactions and collaboration; 2) expanding their research projects with the information and tech support in view of their limited access and tech support from local institutions; 3) promoting interdisciplinary studies with the added value from the integration of those data from different sources and fields, and 4) providing a variety of teaching and training tools for their courses on the studies of Chinese religion.

The project is directed by Dr. Z. George Hong (Professor of History at Purdue University Calumet and Co-Director of the Center on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University), Dr. Fenggang Yang (Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University), and Dr. Shuming Bao (Senior Research Coordinator of the China Data Center at the University of Michigan). The project is also co-sponsored by Purdue University, the University of Michigan, Purdue University Calumet, Renmin University, East China Normal University, Wuhan University and some other institutions.

The Spatial Study of Chinese Religions and Society (2014-2016)

The Center on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University and the China Data Center at the University of Michigan are pleased to announce the project “Spatial Study of Chinese Religions and Society” supported by a three-year, $400,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.

The project is an extension of a project on the spatial study of Chinese Christianity, which was supported by a prior Luce Foundation grant of $300,000 from 2011 to 2014. The new project will expand the current research on Chinese Christianity to the study of Buddhism, Islam, and Taoism in mainland China.

The project will 1) develop the global research and data collaboration on the study of Chinese religions; 2) provide effective spatial information technology in support of interested global users; 3) promote empirical, qualitative, and quantitative research on Chinese religions; 4) enhance Americans’ knowledge and understanding of Chinese religious studies; 5) educate the general public about Chinese religions; and 6) explore and facilitate international research, teaching, learning, and training collaborations on the social scientific study of religions.

Specifically, the project will 1) complete, validate, and enter spatial data on Protestant, Catholic, Buddhist, Islamic and Taoist sites into an online system; 2) develop an online spatial information explorer which will be accessible to the public, useful to professionals, and valuable to academics teaching about Chinese religions; 3) conduct theory-driven and empirical studies using the spatial data and online system; and 4) use these studies as exemplars for the training of professionals and researchers.

The project is directed by Dr. Z. George Hong (Professor of History at Purdue University Calumet and Co-Director of the Center on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University), Dr. Fenggang Yang (Professor of Sociology, Director of the Center on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University and President-elect of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, 2013-2016), and Dr. Shuming Bao (Director of the China Data Center at the University of Michigan).