Benjamin David Penny (born 27 October 1959) is an Australian

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

specialising in religious and spiritual movements in modern and contemporary China. He is a Harold White Fellow at the

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "maint ...

.Harold White Fellow
Retrieved 14 January 2015 His area of speciality is

Falun Gong Falun Gong (, ) or Falun Dafa (; literally, "Dharma Wheel Practice" or "Law Wheel Practice") is a new religious movement.Junker, Andrew. 2019. ''Becoming Activists in Global China: Social Movements in the Chinese Diaspora'', pp. 23–24, 33, 119 ...

as well as the interpretation of Chinese religions by

westerners The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.

and the history of the religions of

Chinese Australian Chinese Australians () are Australians of Chinese ancestry. Chinese Australians are one of the largest groups within the global Chinese diaspora, and are the largest Asian Australian community. Per capita, Australia has more people of Chines ...

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

states that in '' The Religion of Falun Gong'' Penny "makes a good case for defining Falun Gong as a modern Chinese religion. . . . eprovides an admirable guide to the short history of Falun Gong and the eclectic complexities of its doctrine, which he sets within the framework of indigenous religious belief over the centuries."

Family and education

Penny is the younger brother of professor

Simon Penny Simon Graeme Penny (born 19 October 1955) is an Australian artist, theorist, curator and teacher in the fields of digital cultural practices, embodied interaction and interactive art. Early life Penny was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1955. ...

(born 1955) who is a theorist, curator and teacher in the field of Interactive Media Art. Benjamin Penny was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

and attended

Newington College , motto_translation = To Faith Add Knowledge , location = Inner West and Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = A ...

(1972–1977). He was awarded a Bachelor of Arts from the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

, a

Master of Philosophy The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil ...

from

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and a PhD from the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies an ...

. Benjamin has a son.

Career

After university study, Penny was a post-doctoral fellow at the ANU. From 1999 until 2005, he was the first Executive Officer of the Herbert and Valmae Freilich Foundation. During the years 2003 and 2004 he was a research fellow at the Centre for Cross-Cultural Research. Penny was appointed to the Division of Pacific and Asian History in October 2005. Since January 2010 he has been Deputy Director, and a Research Fellow, at the School of Culture, History & Language ANU College of Asia and the Pacific.

Awards

*Harold White Fellow * ''The Religion of Falun Gong'' won Choice Magazine's Outstanding Academic Title Awards.

Selected publications

* 'On the Acquisition of Moral Character', in Geremie R. Barmé and Jeremy Goldkorn (eds.), China Story Yearbook 2014: Shared Destiny, Canberra: Australian Centre on China in the World 2014.
‘An Exemplary Society’, in Geremie R. Barmé and Jeremy Goldkorn (eds.), China Story Yearbook 2013: Civilising China,Canberra: Australian Centre on China in the World, 2013.

‘Searching for a Sage Today’, in Geremie R. Barmé with Jeremy Goldkorn, Carolyn Cartier and Gloria Davies (eds.), China Story Yearbook 2012: Red Rising Red Eclipse, Canberra: Australian Centre on China in the World, 2012.
* The Religion of the Falun Gong, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2012. * 'Karmic Retribution, Animal Spirits, Falun Gong and the State', in

Mayfair Yang Mayfair Yang or Yang Meihui () is a Taiwanese-American cultural anthropologist of China. Her research focuses on modernity, religion and secularism, state formation, religious environmentalism, China Studies, gender studies, postcolonial studies, a ...

, Chinese Religiosities: Afflictions of Modernity and State Formation, Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008. * ‘Master Li Encounters Jesus: Christianity and the Configurations of Falun Gong’, W. Smith, M. Tomlinson, and L. Manderson (eds.), Beliefs beyond Borders: Faith, Spiritual Practice and Communities in Asia/Pacific, New York: Springer, 2012.
‘More than One Adam?: Revelation and Philology in Nineteenth-Century China’, Humanities Research, XIV, 2007.
* 'An Immigrant Chinese Sea God in Australia: The Chinese Background to Sydney’s Retreat Street Temple’, Chinese Southern Diaspora Studies, 2, 2008. * 'Daoism in history: essays in honour of Liu Tsʼun-Yan' London: Routledge, 2006. * 'Religion and biography in China and Tibet' Richmond, Surrey: Curzon, 2002.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penny, Benjamin 1959 births Living people Australian educators People educated at Newington College People from Sydney People from Canberra University of Sydney alumni Alumni of the University of Cambridge Australian National University alumni