Falun Gong in the United States: An Ethnographic StudyUniversal-Publishers, 2003 - 300 頁 Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, has been described in many ways. It has been called qigong, one of many schools of physical exercises that aim at improving health and developing supernatural abilities. Scholars and mainstream media have referred it to as a spiritual movement or religion, although practitioners claim it is not a religion. It has been called a cult, in the pejorative sense rather than in a sociological context, by the Chinese government and by some Western critics. In the writings of Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, it is referred to in different ways, though primarily as a cultivation practice. The question of how to define Falun Gong is not just an academic issue; the use of the cult label has been used to justify the persecution of practitioners in China. To a limited degree, the Chinese Government is able to extend the persecution overseas. How society defines Falun Gong has implications for action on the level of policy, as well as the shaping of social, cultural, and personal attitudes. This research project addresses what Falun Gong is through ethnography. Research methods included participant-observation, semi-structured ethnographic interviews (both in-person and on-line), and content analysis of text and visual data from Falun Gong books, pamphlets, and websites. Research sites included Tampa, Washington D.C., and cyberspace. In order to keep my research relevant to the issues and concerns of the Falun Gong community, I was in regular contact with the Tampa practitioners, keeping them abreast of my progress and asking for their input. My findings are contrary to the allegations made by the Chinese Government and Western anti-cultists in many ways. Practitioners are not encouraged to rely on Western medicine, but are not prohibited from using it. Child practitioners are not put at risk. Their organizational structure is very loose. Finally, the Internet has played a vital role in Falun Gong's growth and continuation after the crackdown. |
內容
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| 17 | |
| 19 | |
| 27 | |
| 34 | |
| 45 | |
Our country is in its best human rights period in history | 67 |
Practitioners in Sheng Yang | 72 |
Teaching a new person the fifth exercise | 134 |
Practitioners setting up for Falun Dafa day | 135 |
A picture of Li Hongzhi on Richards wall | 138 |
Richards wall | 139 |
Nappis wall and VCR | 140 |
Falun Gong Demographics for American Practitioners on the Internet | 142 |
Medical care allegation in Chinese comic | 154 |
Clearwisdom net refutes medical care allegation | 155 |
A Practitioners Home After Being Ransacked by Chinese Police | 99 |
A 5000 Yuan Fine For Having a Wife Who Appealed for Falun Gong | 100 |
Liu Yufeng a Practitioner Who Was Beaten to Death | 101 |
Practitioners in D C | 107 |
Suspiciouslooking Chinese Man with a Camera Hangs Around the D C Practice Site | 112 |
RESULTS | 113 |
Falun Gong Practitioners Educations and Careers | 115 |
Anecdotal Demographic Information North American Practitioners | 121 |
Falun Gong Demographics for Tampa FL | 128 |
Falun Gong Demographics for Washington D C | 129 |
Chinese tourists walking away after taking pictures of practitioners up close | 130 |
Joggers glance at dancers on Falun Dafa day | 131 |
Passersby read Falun Gong posters | 133 |
The Six Periods of Falun Gong | 177 |
Conference at USF | 196 |
Children presenting at an Orlando experience sharing conference | 197 |
Professional Practitioners by the Washington Monument | 205 |
A New Website is Advertised at the D C Conference | 209 |
Most Frequently Checked Falun Gong Websites in the United States | 212 |
How Practitioners are Raising Awareness | 222 |
The poster used for the Practice Site in Tampa | 229 |
A Poster Used on the Mall in D C | 230 |
CONCLUSION | 246 |
REFERENCES CITED | 260 |
Tampa SemiStructured Interview Protocol | 284 |
常見字詞
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熱門章節
第 37 頁 - Without further ado, then, a religion is: (1) a system of symbols which acts to (2) establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by (3) formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and (4) clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that (5) the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic.
第 195 頁 - Knowing that the individual is likely to present himself in a light that is favorable to him, the others may divide what they witness into two parts; a part that is relatively easy for the individual to manipulate at will, being chiefly his verbal assertions, and a part in regard to which he seems to have little concern or control, being chiefly derived from the expressions he gives off. The others may then use what are considered to be the ungovernable aspects of his expressive behavior as a check...
第 58 頁 - A revitalization movement is defined as a deliberate, organized, conscious effort by members of a society to construct a more satisfying culture. Revitalization is thus, from a cultural standpoint, a special kind of culture change phenomenon: the persons involved in the process of revitalization must perceive their culture, or some major areas of it, as a system (whether accurately or not); they must feel that this cultural system is unsatisfactory; and they must innovate not merely discrete items,...
第 59 頁 - The movement is a revolutionary organization and almost inevitably will encounter some resistance. Resistance may in some cases be slight and fleeting but more commonly is determined and resourceful, and is held either by a powerful faction within the society or by agents of a dominant foreign society. The movement may therefore have to use various strategies of adaptation: doctrinal modification; political and diplomatic maneuver; and force.
第 76 頁 - Deng uttered the famous words "it doesn't matter whether the cat is black or white; as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat.
第 48 頁 - We define somatization as the expression of personal and social distress in an idiom of bodily complaints and medical help seeking.
第 59 頁 - An awakening of religious activity is a frequent characteristic of periods of social unrest. The weakening or disruption of the older social order may stimulate new and often bizarre ideals, and these may give rise to religious movements that strive to sanction social or political aspirations. Communities that feel themselves oppressed anticipate the emergence of a hero who will restore their prosperity and prestige.
第 57 頁 - I have stated our position that with regard to the political disturbances in 1989, had the Chinese government not taken the resolute measures, then we could not have enjoyed the stability that we are enjoying today.
第 87 頁 - Shortly after the death of Mao and the arrest of the 'Gang of Four' in October 1976, Deng appeared again and was restored to his posts in 1977.
第 75 頁 - That suggests to me that we ought to have a better nutritional education program both on the part of the Government and on the part of private industry.