Dr. Jie Kang

Jie Kang is a Research Fellow and Project Coordinator for “Cultural Diversity in South-West China and South-East Asia” and “Temples, Rituals, and the Transformation of Transnational Networks” headed by Peter van der Veer at MPI-MMG’s Department of Religious Diversity. She is also responsible for the communications, publications, and outreach of the Department. She was awarded a Ph.D. degree in 2014 in Sinology from the University of Leipzig for a dissertation, entitled “From Peasant to Pastor - The Rural-Urban Transformation of Protestant Christianity in Linyi, Shandong Province.” She is also the author of the book “House Church Christianity in China: From Rural Preachers to City Pastors” published by Palgrave in 2016. Generally, she is interested in transnational religious networks in China and among the Chinese diaspora abroad, missionary movement, state-church relations, religion and nationalism, including national identity. Alongside her own research, she is also currently responsible for the following:

• Supporting collaboration with Chinese universities, academic institutions, and organizations.
• Organizing the MPI-MMG‘s activities internationally and with reference to China, such as conferences and workshops.
• Developing a research network base connecting the MPI-MMG’s Department of Religious Diversity to Chinese academic institutions.

Research projects

• Missionary Movement of the Chinese Protestant House Church
• Chinese Christian community and network in Germany
• Christian tourism and its global connectedness
• From peasant to pastor -- The rural-urban transformation of Protestant Christianity in Linyi, Shandong Province (completed)

Publications

Books

Kang, J. (2016). House Church Christianity in China: From Rural Preachers to City Pastors. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Link

Journal Articles

Kang, J. (2019). The Rise of Calvinist Christianity in Urbanising China. Religions, 10(8), 481. Link

Kang, J. (2015). The Concept of Social Network in Chinese Christianity / 中国基督教的社会网络 概念. Cultural Diversity in China, 1(2), 219-232. Link

Contributions to a Collected edition

Kang, J. (2021). Chinese Christian community in Germany: Home-making and Chineseness. In N. Cao, G. Giordan, & F. Yang (Eds.), Chinese religions going global (pp. 97-114). Leiden: Brill. Link

Kang, J. (2020). Rural to Urban Protestant House Churches in China. In S. Feuchtwang (ed). Handbook on Religion in China. Edward Elgar Publisher. Page. 407-430.

Book Reviews

Kang, J. (2019). [Review of:] Li Ma and Jin Li “Surviving the State, Remaking the Church: A Sociological Portrait of Christians in Mainland China”. Journal of Church and State, 61(3), 497-499. Link