Person

As a religious studies scholar specialising in contemporary religions, I study the interface between religion and society in general and with a focus on East Asia and Chinese Buddhist traditions. Methodologically, I am strongly influenced by the aesthetics of religion and the analysis of decision-making processes.

Trained in religious studies, sinology and theology (Münster, Bonn, Taipei), I developed a fascination with Chinese Buddhist life. In my doctoral thesis, I analysed the motivation of lay believers to identify themselves as Buddhists in urban environments. Later, I worked on Chinese Buddhist divination and was involved in developing the IKGF (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg), which dealt with conceptualisations of the future between Asia and Europe. I am currently investigating the interface between religion and public education from a comparative Asian-European perspective. I also reflect on how changes in the contemporary cultivation of emotions impact ritual practice.