Anna Iskra

Anna Iskra is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies at the Faculty of Humanities, affiliated with the Centre for Culture and the Mind. Her research focuses on the intersections of state power, psy-sciences, and selfhood in contemporary China, particularly exploring pop psychology and New Age spirituality networks.

Her educational background includes a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Hong Kong (2020), with a dissertation titled "Healing the Nation through Self-Discovery: The Chinese New Age Milieu and the Politics of Emotion". She also held a postdoctoral position at the University of Hong Kong from 2020 to 2022, researching Indian new religious movements and spiritual tourism among the Chinese middle class.

Dr. Iskra's research interests span Anthropology, China Studies, Psy-sciences, Spirituality, Affect Theory, Self-cultivation, Mental Health, and New Age Movements. She critically examines the cross-fertilization of Chinese official and grassroots discourses on mental health, especially in the context of the pandemic, as part of the project "Covid-19 and Global Mental Health: The Importance of Cultural Contexts". Her work often employs ethnographic techniques to decolonize affect and explores the spiritual dimensions of nation-building in China.

Her recent publications (2020-2024) reveal a consistent focus on the Chinese New Age milieu, self-cultivation practices, and the politics of emotion. The articles demonstrate interdisciplinary engagement with anthropology, religious studies, and gender studies, highlighting the role of spirituality in shaping Chinese middle-class subjectivity and national identity. Key trends include the circulation of New Age teachings across Asia, the emergence of postfeminist ideals, and the impact of global events like the pandemic on mental health discourse.

Dr. Iskra is currently involved in the project "Covid-19 and Global Mental Health: The Importance of Cultural Contexts" and previously contributed to "Infrastructures of Faith: Religious Mobilities on the Belt and Road". She is affiliated with the Centre for Culture and the Mind, which likely serves as her primary research hub for collaborative work on culture, cognition, and mental health in global contexts.