Adam Frank

This paper first connects the concept of qi with theories of consciousness from neuroscientific and philosophical perspectives. Then, adopting a discourse-centered approach to analyzing the many contexts in which qi is written about, discussed, and experienced, the paper makes the case that the concept of qi reflects deeply held human understandings of experience that arise from attention to both the external environment and the internal landscape of the body. In connecting qi to consciousness, the author asks us to consider whether the concept of qi is a synecdoche for consciousness and, as such, whether contemporary conversations about consciousness can provide us with conceptual tools for better understanding qi. The paper draws upon first-person accounts from experienced practitioners of qigong ("cultivating the qi") and Chinese martial arts, practices that have become ubiquitous in North America. Finally, the author draws upon Foucault’s notion of “heterotopias” vs. “utopias” to discuss qi as lived experience vs. Oriental fantasy.

Authors and affiliations (required)

Adam Frank PhD (Presenting) afrank@uca.edu

University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR, USA

Categories by Discipline (required)

6.0 Culture and Humanities

Primary Topic Area - Detailed Taxonomy (required)

[05.01]...Phenomenology

Secondary Topic Area - Detailed Taxonomy (required)

[05.12]........Miscellaneous

Links to Research

The paper is drawn from my individual contribution forthcoming book on qi, co-authored by Stephen L. Field and Nancy N. Chen: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/qi-as-lived-experience-9781350575806/

My previous book discussing the concept of qi may be found here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9780230601529

A graduate of the University of Arizona (BA in Theatre, 1984), Adam D. Frank holds a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin and is Professor of Anthropology and Performance Studies in the Schedler Honors College, University of Central Arkansas.  He is the author of Taijiquan and the Search for the Little Old Chinese Man: Understanding Identity through Martial Arts (Palgrave, 2006) and co-author (with Stephen L. Field and Nancy N. Chen) of Qi as Lived Experience: Breath, Wind, Potency and Mind in Chinese Thought (forthcoming from Bloomsbury, May 2026). Frank has also published numerous articles on martial arts that have appeared in journals such as Education About Asia, The Journal of Daoist Studies, and the Journal of Media and Communication. He is a founding member of the discipline of martial arts studies and serves on the advisory boards of the Journal of Martial Arts Studies and the East Asian Journal of Popular Culture. He previously presented at the Tucson Science of Consciousness conference in 2000.