Qigong, Falun Gong, et la religion de l’État moderne chinois

Depuis 1999, le conflit, très médiatisé, entre l’État chinois et le Falun Gong a été souvent interprété selon les termes d’un débat bien connu en Occident, et en particulier sur le continent nord-américain : un débat qui oppose ceux qui, d’un côté, veulent défendre l’ordre social contre le danger de « cultes » ou « sectes », à ceux qui, de l’autre, veulent défendre la liberté de croyance et les « nouveaux mouvements religieux ». Le but du présent texte est de replacer ce débat dans un contexte spécifiquement chinois pour comprendre la signification donnée, au cours du vingtième siècle, aux concepts de religion, de superstition ou d’héterodoxie. Notre argumentation repose sur l’idée que la définition de religion adoptée par l’État chinois à partir du début du vingtième siècle, une définition calquée sur celle alors usitée en Occident, cadre très mal avec le fait religieux tel qu’il s’exprime dans l’espace chinois. Sans tenir compte de cette inadéquation, il devient difficile de comprendre à la fois la montée extraordinaire du qigong et du Falun Gong et la campagne de supression de ce dernier.Since 1999, the highly mediatized conflict between the Chinese State and the Falun Gong has often been interpreted according to the terms of a debate well known in the West, and especially on the North American continent that opposes those who, on the one hand, wish to defend the social order against the danger of ‘cults’ or ‘sects,’ against those who, on the other, wish to defend the freedom of belief and the ‘new religious movements.’ The aim of the present paper is to situate this debate within a specifically Chinese context in order to understand the significance given, during the 20th century, to the concepts of religion, superstition or heterodoxy. Our argument is based on the idea that the definition of religion adopted by the Chinese State in the early 20th century, a definition copied from the one prevailing in the West, does not conform well with the religious situation as expressed in China. Unless this discrepancy is taken into consideration, both the extraordinary rise of the qigong and Falun Gong and the campaign to suppress the latter become difficult to understand.Desde 1999, el conflicto muy mediatizado, entre el Estado chino y el Falun Gong ha sido a menudo interpretado según los términos como se comprende un debate en Occidente, y en particular sobre el continente norteamericano : un debate que opone a los que, por una parte, quieren defender el orden social contra el peligro de “cultos” o de “sectas”, y a los que, por otra parte, quieren defender la libertad de creencia y los “nuevos movimientos religiosos”. El objetivo del presente texto es poner de nuevo este debate en un contexto específicamente chino para comprender el significado otorgado, durante el siglo XX, a los conceptos de religión, superstición o heterodoxia. Nuestra argumentación se basa en la idea que la definición de religión adoptada por el Estado chino a partir del principio del siglo XX, una definición copiada sobre la entonces empleada en Occidente, encaja muy mal con el hecho religioso tal como se expresa en el espacio chino. Sin tener en cuenta esta inadecuación, se vuelve entonces difícil comprender a la vez la subida extraordinaria del qigong y del Falun Gong y la campaña de supresión de este último

Predicting metal interactions with a novel quantitative ion character -activity relationship (QICAR) approach

Environmental toxicologists adopted QSARs from pharmacology fairly early on to predict organic contaminant toxicity. In contrast, models relating metal ion characteristics to their bioactivity remain poorly explored and underutillized. Quantitative Ion Character-Activity Relationships (QICARs) have recently been developed to predict metal toxicity. The QICAR approach based on metal-ligand binding tendencies has been applied to a wide range of effects, species, and media on a single metal basis. In previous single metal studies, a softness parameter and the ; log of KOH ; were the ion qualities with the highest predictive value for toxicity. Here, QICAR modeling was brought a step further to predict toxicity of binary metal mixtures. Using the MicrotoxRTM bioassay, the interaction of binary mixtures of metals (Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Zn) is quantified using a linear model with an interaction term. A predictive relationship for metal interaction between pairs of metals and the difference in the softness parameter was developed. The interaction of binary mixtures of Co, Cu, Ni, and Zn was quantified using a linear model for nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans) exposures. Contrasting with earlier studies, the difference in polarizing power (Z2/r) between metal ions was the best ion characteristic for predicting interaction coefficients. Current risk assessment methods sum toxic units, assuming that all mixtures act in an additive fashion. General problems with this method are demonstrated utilizing data from the MicrotoxRTM metal mixture tests. An alternative, more accurate, method for summing toxicities with proportions instead of toxic units is illustrated. This study supports the hypothesis that general prediction of metal interactions from ion characteristics is possible. It is important to realize that even with the preliminary success of these models that additional work with metals of different valences and sizes might affect the accuracy of metal interaction predictions. Careful thought and examination of known modes of single metal toxicity should be considered when developing future quantitative metal interaction models

Monika Gaenssbauer, Confucianism and Social Issues in China—The Academician Kang Xiaoguang: Investigations Into NGOs in China, the Falun Gong, Chinese Reportage, and the Confucian Tradition

In this slender volume, Monika Gaenssbauer, Visiting Professor of Chinese Studies at the University of Erlangen, explores several facets of the publications and intellectual activism of the Chinese academic Kang Xiaoguang. Kang, Professor of Regional Economics and Politics at the School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development at Renmin University in Beijing, is a fascinating case, worthy of study both for the research he undertakes and the ideas he expounds, and as an example of the d..

Kang Xiaoguang: Social Science, Civil Society, and Confucian Religion

This article examines the academic and intellectual career of Kang Xiaoguang, a prominent advocate of Confucianism and of the establishment of Confucianism as China’s state religion. It argues that Kang’s advocacy is rooted in a utilitarian vision of religion, and a pragmatic desire to encourage the development of healthy state-society relations in twenty-first century China

Sect and Secularism in Reading the Modern

Cet article examine l’historiographie occidentale des mouvements « sectaires » chinois et montre comment les chercheurs ont repris à leur compte les constructions de l’État impérial d’une tradition sectaire unifiée, décrite comme l’ennemi de l’État et de la société. Cette construction a empêché les chercheurs de voir les continuités entre les mouvements religieux populaires de l’époque impériale et les nouveaux mouvements du XXe siècle (redemptive societies depuis les années dix, Qigong des années quatre-vingt et quatre-vingt-dix, etc.) ; cette analyse vise à repenser les catégories utilisées en sciences sociales de la religion en Chine (notamment la catégorie de « secte »), mais aussi à clarifier les rapports entre les analyses scientifiques des mouvements religieux en Chine et leur traitement politique.This article analyses Western historiography of so-called Chinese “sectarian” movements and shows how scholars have adopted the late imperial state’s invention of a coherent sectarian tradition, described as the enemy of state and society. Such an invention has prevented historians from seeing the continuities between popular religious movements of the late imperial period and new religions of the twentieth century, such as the redemptive societies since the 1910s or the Qigong movements of the 1980s and 90s. Against this background, the article argues that we should rethink the categories used in studying Chinese religions, beginning with “sectarian”, and clarify the connections between the social-scientific study of religion and its political treatment that such categories facilitate.Este artículo examina la historiografía occidental de los movimientos “sectarios” chinos y muestra cómo los investigadores tomaron para sí las construcciones del Estado imperial de una tradición sectaria unificada, descripta como el enemigo del Estado y de la sociedad. Esta construcción impide a los investigadores ver las continuidades entre los movimientos religiosos populares de la época imperial y los nuevos movimientos del siglo XX (redemptive societies desde los años ’10, Qigong de los años ’80 y ’90, etc.); este análisis apunta a repensar las categorías utilizadas en ciencias sociales de la religión en China (especialmente la categoría de “secta”), pero también a clarificar las relaciones entre los análisis científicos de los movimientos religiosos en China y su tratamiento político

Kang Xiaoguang et le projet d’une religion confucéenne

Cet article analyse le parcours académique et intellectuel de Kang Xiaoguang, éminent défenseur du confucianisme et de son instauration comme religion d’État en Chine. Il démontre que le plaidoyer de Kang est ancré dans une vision utilitaire de la religion, et dans un désir pragmatique d’encourager le développement de relations saines entre l’État et la société dans la Chine du XXIe siècle

Kang Xiaoguang et le projet d’une religion confucéenne

Cet article analyse le parcours académique et intellectuel de Kang Xiaoguang, éminent défenseur du confucianisme et de son instauration comme religion d’État en Chine. Il démontre que le plaidoyer de Kang est ancré dans une vision utilitaire de la religion, et dans un désir pragmatique d’encourager le développement de relations saines entre l’État et la société dans la Chine du XXIe siècle

A Comparison of a Traditional Clinical Experience to a Precepted Clinical Experience for Baccalaureate-Seeking Nursing Students in Their Second Semester

The shortage of nursing faculty has contributed greatly to the nursing workforce shortage, with many schools turning away qualified applicants because there are not enough faculty to teach. Despite the faculty shortage, schools are required to admit more students to alleviate the nursing shortage. Clinical groups in which preceptors are responsible for student learning extend faculty resources. Purpose. To determine the effectiveness of an alternative clinical experience (preceptorship). Methods. quasi-experimental, randomized, longitudinal design. Students were randomized to either the traditional or precepted clinical group. The clinical experience was a total of 12 weeks. Groups were compared according to several variables including second semester exam scores, HESI scores, and quality and timeliness of clinical paperwork. Sample. Over a two-year period, seventy-one undergraduate nursing students in the second semester medical-surgical nursing course participated. 36 were randomized to the experimental group. The preceptors were baccalaureate-prepared nurses who have been practicing for at least one year. Setting. Two hospitals located in the Texas Medical Center. Statistical Analysis. Descriptive statistics and independent t-test. Results. There was no difference between the groups on the variables of interest. Conclusion. Students in the precepted clinical group perform as well as those in a traditional clinical group