Xiaobo Yuan

Xiaobo Yuan is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Religion at Whitman College, bridging both departments' curricula. Her research focuses on contemporary Protestant Christianity in mainland China, particularly urban worshippers' interactions with state structures and economic forces. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (2017), following M.A. (2011) and B.A. (2007) degrees from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Chicago. Her work examines religious communities' visions of social transformation and futurity amid China's rapid urbanization.

Education:

• Ph.D. Anthropology, University of Chicago (2017)
• M.A. Anthropology, University of Chicago (2011)
• B.A. Anthropology and English, Johns Hopkins University (2007)

Research interests include transnational Chinese missionary networks, techno-missionaries among evangelical 'hackers,' and Chinese missions in Southeast Asia. Her current book manuscript Converting China: Urban Christianity and the Politics of Futurity explores religious visions of flourishing in China's Protestant boom. Courses taught span global Christianity, affect theory, religion and capitalism, and contemporary China studies.

Publications highlight intersections between religion, economic anxiety, and gendered religious practices. Her work critically examines state-religion dynamics, underground education resistance, and postcolonial East Asian cultural frameworks.

Labs/Teams: Actively engaged in fieldwork collaborations with Chinese Christian communities and transnational religious networks. Currently developing projects on digital evangelism and Sinophone religious globalization.