Three Postdoctoral Researchers joined our center on September 1, 2022.
Dr. Jungsun Kim is from Seoul, South Korea. She received a Ph. D in Educational Psychology from Purdue University in 2019.
Her co-authored paper,
Collateral damage: investigating the impacts of COVID on STEM professionals with caregiving responsibilities won the 2022 WIED Denis Denton Best Paper, WIED Best Diversity Paper in American Society for Engineering Education.
1. Why do you find it interesting to study Christianity in Korea or interested to do spatial studies of society?
South Korea has been through a lot of hardships and challenges in the past century and Christianity has played a significant role in shaping the political structure, social transformation and legal progress.
2. What is the significance of doing this kind of study?
By put the religious data on a map through spatial analysis technology and building the database of Christianity from social science perspectives, we are able to illustrate the impacts of Christianity on Korean society in a broader and deeper way. Additionally, our findings on Shamanism or new religions will fill the gap in academic research on religion.
3. Tell us any fun fact about yourself that will help us remember you.
I liked hang-gliding and paragliding during college years and would like to try it again in the near future.
Dr. Natsuko Godo
is from Tokyo, Japan. She started working at the Center on Religion and the Global East since September 2022. She holds a Master Degree in Comparative Culture and Ph.D in Arts and Sciences from International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan.
1. What publications have you published so far? Or papers/projects in the making?
One of the co-authored papers of mine is:
“Relief Work by the Society of Friends Missionary Esther B. Rhoads: Her Activity in Japan after World War II” (The Journal of History of Christianity, July, 2021)
2. Please tell us why you find it interesting to study Christianity in Japan or interested to do spatial studies of society?
I am not an expert in spatial studies, but I am interested in history of Japan. Christianity may not be big in Japan for many reasons, but it sure has been a significant player in Japanese history, especially upon the arrival of the Black Ships in 1853, the beginning of the Meiji era in 1868 and during the American occupation after the end of the World War II in 1945. I hope that I could contribute to our project through my interest and knowledge in the history of Japan.
3. What is the significance of doing this kind of study?
I am fascinated about the idea of mapping the religions of Global East. Many people, including me, tend to have the impression that Japan is a very secular society, where people are not interested in religions and don’t normally talk about religious issues. But when the data about Japanese religions have been demonstrated through online atlas, it has completely changed my perception. I believe it gives people the opportunity to have a much more intuitive perception of what Japan is really like when it come to the issue of religion and spirituality.
4. Tell us any fun fact about yourself that will help us remember you.
We have more snow than West Lafayette, where Purdue is. I like skiing and I hope that I will have the opportunity to ski here in United States.
Dr. Yuanfei Li is from Chongqing, China. He started working at the Center on Religion and the Global East since September 2022. He holds a M. A. in Sociology from Peking University, Beijing and a Ph. D in Sociology from the State University of New York at Albany. Dr. Yuanfei Li is especially interested in quantitative studies and in spatial analysis.
1. What publications have you published or in the making?
One of my co-authored papers is:
Annette Jacoby, and Yuanfei Li, 2022, Mental health care access and individual help-seeking during the covid-19 pandemic.
Community Mental Health Journal, 58:1572–1583.
2. Why do you find it interesting to study Christianity in East Asia or interested to do spatial studies of society?
During my time as a Research Assistance at State University of New York at Albany, I was able to apply my skills in spatial analysis into the area of public health. The current project Dr. Yang is leading is inter-disciplinary and heavily involved in spatial analysis. This is where I come in and hopefully I could contribute to the project and to learn about religious landscape of East Asia.
3. What is the significance of doing this kind of study?
I am not an expert in the personal aspects of religions, such as their beliefs and theologies. But I am interested in the social aspects of religions, such as the people groups, the organization and social networking of religious members, the influence of religion on individuals’ well-being and the role of religion in a society. I believe by integrating spatial analysis into religious study, we will help more people to better understand religion.
4. Tell us any fun fact about yourself that will help us remember you.
When I was a child, I used to spend a lot of time playing with my friends by rivers and lakes, but I have never been able to swim.
