Contact Details
E-mail: LIN.WEIHSUAN.2011@nuim.ie
Phone: 01 708 6460
Address: Room 22, Top Floor, Rhetoric House, NUI Maynooth, Co. Kildare.

Biography:

2011

Erasmus Program, Department of Geography in National University of Ireland, Maynooth

 2007-2011

Master of Science in Geography (Diplom-Geographin)

Geography Institute in Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University Tübingen, Germany

 2005-2007

Bachelor's program included in Master of Science in Geography without Degree

Geography Institute in Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University Tübingen, Germany

 2005-2011

Anthropology and Economics as subsidiary subjects, Master

(Bachelor's program included without Degree)

Cultural Anthropology Institute in Faculty of Philosophy, University Tübingen, Germany

Economics Institute in Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University Tübingen, Germany

Thesis Title:

“An ‘Evil Cult’ or a New Social Movement? Situating the Falun Gong within a global context”

Description of Project:

Falun Gong (FLG) was founded in 1992 by Li Hongzi in Changchun and spread rapidly across China. By 1999 the movement was banned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and FLG rapidly began to establish headquarters in other countries. Many scholars view the rise of FLG as a new religious movement that emerged as a response to Chinese economic modernisation, including unresolved secular problems, a normative breakdown resulting from economic reform and an ideological vacuum left by the decline of the communist ideology. However, few scholarly work has examined why and how the FLG emerged as a diasporic movement following its ban in China in 1999. This PhD seeks to fill this gap in the research through an ethnographic study of FLG global ‘religious immigrant’ practice in three countries (Ireland, Germany, Taiwan) to examine how western ideologies of universal human rights became an integral part of the FLG’s international political and religious identity. The research will also contribute to larger debates within political and cultural geography about geography, religion and governmentality in a post-Cold War, post 9-11 era.

Supervisor:

First Supervisor: Dr. Karen Till
Second Supervisor: Prof. Gerry Kearns

Scholarships:

2011-2015
Title: Doctoral Teaching Fellowship – National University of Ireland, Maynooth

2011

Recipient of the Erasmus (European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) Scholarship for study at the Department of Geography at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth

2010

Scholarship recipient for distinguished Ethnology and Anthropology Summer School, University of Yunnan, China

Research Superviso: Prof. Zhang Yao

Research Topic: "Do Mountain Gods Contribute to Ecological Balance Among the Yi Minority? " (In Chinese)

2009

Master’s of Arts Thesis Proposal Award recipient, StufoGeo Fund, Geographical Institute of the University of Tübingen

Master’s Thesis Title: ‘The Role of Trust Relationship for the Success of Enterprises and

Organizations using the example of the Automobile Industry in Shanghai’ (In German)

Thesis Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Sebastian Kinder
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Gerhard Halder

Presentations:

Conference of Irish Geographers, May 2012 - An ‘Evil Cult’ or a New Religious Movement? Situating the Falun Gong within Chinese Context

Teaching

2011   

NUIM Professional Certificate in Teaching and Learning

2011-2012

1st year Geography Tutor, NUIM

2012

3rd year GIS Demonstrator, NUIM