Socialization as Education in a Cross-Cultural Revitalization Movement in Southern California

This grounded theory study investigates how the Falun Gong in Southern California recruits and instructs followers. Participants are adult followers who meet regularly in public parks, on college campuses, and outside the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles. This study uses grounded theory methodology with unstructured interviews, overt participant observations of meetings, and text analysis of published Falun Gong materials used by the practitioners.

Falun Gong is a revitalization movement that is cross-cultural in nature and appeals to new adherents for how it addresses flaws found in perhaps all societies—failures of existing epistemology, ontology, health care, morality, politics, community, aesthetics, and the education of the young. Falun Gong provides a new way of thinking that can lead to a new life.

The results of this study include a theory describing the movement, its methods of socialization, and suggestions for educators.