The Falun Gong in China: A Sociological Perspective.

Offers a sociological perspective on the rise of and crackdown on the falun gong (FLG) in relation to the social, cultural, and political context in China. Sociological nature of the FLG based on the NRM literature; Suggestion that the FLG can be understood as an NRM with characteristics comparable to those in Euro-American contexts in the 1950s to 1970s; Effect of the interaction among the political implication of Chinese history of NRM, the social canon of social stability since 1989, the organizational nature andmobilization power of the FLG, the strong ideological commitment of FLG followers and the overseas support of the FLG leader on the strong-handed crackdown of the group.