Fenggang Yang

Fenggang Yang is a Professor of Sociology and Courtesy Professor of Political Science at Purdue University. He is the founding Director of the Center on Religion and the Global East, and Editor of the Review of Religion and Chinese Society. Yang holds a Ph.D. from the Catholic University of America (1997). His work focuses on the sociology of religion, religious change in China, and immigrant religion in the U.S., with notable publications including Religion in China: Survival and Revival under Communist Rule (2012) and Atlas of Religion in China (2018).

Yang has served as President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (2014-15) and the East Asian Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (2018-20). His research bridges academic and policy spheres, with frequent media appearances on outlets like NPR, NY Times, and BBC.

Education:

• Ph.D., Sociology, Catholic University of America, 1997

Research Interests:

• Sociology of Religion
• Religious Change in China
• Immigrant Religion in the U.S.
• Comparative Religious Markets

His work critically examines state-religion dynamics, transnational religious movements, and the interplay between modernization and religious revivalism in China and global contexts.

Awards:

• Two articles awarded the Distinguished Article Award

Labs/Teams:

• Director, Center on Religion and the Global East
• Founder, Review of Religion and Chinese Society

His research initiatives include the Online Spiritual Atlas of China and collaborative projects on religious demography and policy analysis.