Eminent Monks (150-1500CE)
The cluster “Religion and Technology” investigated how emerging technologies in the digital humanities can contribute to the study of religion in East Asia. In a series of workshops Simon Wiles (Stanford CIDR), Oliver Streiter (National University of Kaohsiung), and Marcus Bingenheimer (Temple University) taught the foundations of GIS-based surveys and map creation (2017), historical social network analysis (2018), and GIS and aerial photography with drones (2019). Workshops included theory and classroom training in the use of software tools as well as intensive fieldwork.
The fieldwork and training aspect of this cluster aimed to show how recent advances in information technology can be gainfully applied to the study of Asian religions. The first workshop (2017) resulted in a comprehensive dataset of c.150 religious sites of two districts in Taiwan (Jinshan and Shimen). The second workshop (2018) resulted in visualizations and improved data for social networks in Chinese and Singaporean religious history. In the third workshop (2019) participants produced drone footage of selected sites from the 2017 survey.
This Frogbear cluster was generously supported by the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts, the National University of Singapore, the Chung-hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies, and Fu Jen University.
Cluster Webpage
Cluster webpage for 2017: http://spaceandcyberspace2017.mbingenheimer.net/
Cluster webpage for 2018: http://sna2018.mbingenheimer.net/
Cluster webpage for 2019: http://mbingenheimer.net/workshops/gis/
Field Visit Report
Data Collection
View 2017 digital data collection
View 2019 digital data collection
Cluster Publications
Read article from the DILA newsletter on the 2019 field visit
Read BEAR Research Briefs—“Imagining the Future of Material Religion Research in Asia: GIS imaging and Drone Image Ethnography in Taiwan”
Read BEAR Research Briefs—“Spatial Humanities and Regional Religious Systems (RRS): GIS Mapping of Religious Sites in Northeast Taiwan”
2018 field visit team
Cluster Participants
| Affiliated Researchers | Associated Researchers |
| Anderl, Christoph (Ghent University) – 2017 | Chang, Hsiukai (Donghai University) – 2018 |
| Baycroft, Anne (University of Saskatchewan) – 2019 | Chang, Pi-chun (National Taiwan Normal University) – 2017 |
| Buckelew, Kevin (Columbia University) – 2017 | Chen, Ling (Leipzig University) – 2018 |
| Bingenheimer, Marcus (Temple University) – 2017, 2018, 2019 | Chen, Song (Bucknell University) – 2018 |
| Brandstadt, Max (University of California Berkeley) – 2018 | Chia, Jack Meng-Tat (National University of Singapore) – 2018 |
| Burdorf, Suzanne (Ghent University) – 2017 | Chong, Eng Keat William (National University of Singapore) – 2017 |
| Chang, Poyung (Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts) – 2018 | Chong, Eng-Keat William (Independent) – 2018 |
| Chen, Ruifeng (McMaster University) – 2018 | Han, Seokyong (Independent) – 2018 |
| Gilon, Matan (Tel Aviv University) – 2019 | Hu, Jing (Leiden University) – 2018 |
| Heller, Natasha (University of Virginia) – 2018 | Li, Xinlu (Dongnan (Southeast) University) – 2017 |
| Hung, Jen-jou (Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts) – 2017 | Lin, Peiying (Fu-jen University) – 2017 |
| Kuklinski, Thomas (Temple University) – 2018, 2019 | Park, Boram (Chungbuk University) – 2019 |
| Lai, Rongdao (University of Southern California) – 2018 | Qu, Yadi (SOAS) – 2019 |
| Li, Xinglong (Capital Normal University) – 2019 | Scarin, Jacopo (Ca’Foscari University, Venice) – 2018, 2019 |
| Liu, Jenny Chao-hui (Princeton University) – 2019 | Seymour, Kelsey (University of Pennsylvania) – 2017 |
| Rusk, Bruce (University of British Columbia) – 2018 | Shen, Lien Fan (University of Utah) – 2017 |
| Saulnier-Eagles, Emily Lynn (Mount Allison University) – 2019 | Stanley-Baker, Michael (Nanyang Technological University) – 2018 |
| Shmushko, Kai (Tel Aviv University) – 2019 | Streiter, Oliver (National University of Kaohsiung) – 2017, 2018 |
| Streiter, Oliver (National University of Kaohsiung) – 2019 | Tischer, Jacob (Boston University) – 2018 |
| Sun, Xuejing (University of Southern California) – 2019 | To, Mandy Manwai (National University of Kaohsiung)- 2019 |
| Travis, Travis (Temple University) – 2017 | Zhang, Ming Yeung (FuJen University) – 2019 |
| Wang, Michelle (Georgetown University) – 2019 | |
| Wiles, Simon (Stanford University) – 2017, 2018, 2019 | |
| Wu, Jinhui (University of Arizona) – 2017 | |
| Yan, Weiguang (Capital Normal University) – 2017 | |
| Zhan, Ya-Qing (National Taiwan University) – 2019 | |
| Zhao, Jinchao (University of Virginia) – 2018 | |
| Zu, Jessica Xiaomin (Princeton University) – 2018 |
Additional workshop participants from the National University of Singapore in 2018:
| Chua, Hui Chuan | Deng, Shengtao |
| Dong, Chang | Feng, Yikang |
| Gao, Bin | Huang, Zichang |
| Li, Cuiqin | Lin, Ruo |
| Liu, Jianyi | Lu, Shuang |
| Shen, Yeying | Su, Jui-lung |
| Sun, Yuanxin | Tham, Shiao Wei |
| Wang, Dean | Wang, Sisi |
| Wang, Xin | Wang, Yuxiao |
| Wu, Qi | Xuan, Yan |
| Xue, Yiran | Yang, Yan |
| Yang, Zhizhong | Yap, Sze Sze |
| Ye, Haoling | Yu, Kang |
Field Visit Sites
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 | Wan Boo Sow Research Centre for Chinese Culture Cluster 1.2 description Singapore Central Singapore, Singapore |
| New Taipei City 新北市 Cluster 1.2 description Cluster 1.2 2017 - New Taipei City 新北市 data collection New Taipei 新北市, Taiwan |
| Miaofa Temple 妙法寺 Cluster 1.2 description Cluster 1.2 2019 - Miaofa Temple 妙法寺 (New Taipei City) data collection Miaofa Temple 妙法寺, New Taipei, Taiwan |
| Sheng Ming Palace 聖明宮 Cluster 1.2 description Cluster 1.2 2019 - Sheng Ming Palace 聖明宮 (New Taipei City) data collection Sheng Ming Palace 聖明宮, New Taipei, Taiwan |
| New Taipei City 新北市 Cluster 1.2 description Cluster 1.2 2019 - New Taipei City 新北市 data collection New Taipei City 新北市, Taiwan |
