Fenggang Yang
Please join me in congratulating Fenggang Yang, professor of sociology and director of the Center on Religion and Chinese Society, who delivered the presidential address at the annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR) late last year. His address, “Exceptionalism or Chinamerica? The Definition, Measurement, and Change of Religion in the Globalization Era,” examines trends of religious change in China, the U.S., and around the globe, and argues for improving conceptual and measurement tools of religion in the global context. It will also be published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, and Fenggang will continue to serve SSSR as past-president.
In addition to his talk, Fenggang also organized a panel on “Christianity and Other Religions in the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong” with participation from two university scholars who are also major leaders of the movement. Fenggang and the panelists were interviewed by The Voice of America, and discussed the importance of scholars examining the religious factor in social movements.
Congratulations, Professor Yang!
David A. Reingold
Justin S. Morrill Dean
College of Liberal Arts