Description
Book SynopsisInformative and eye-opening, the
Handbook on Religion in China provides a uniquely broad insight into the contemporary Chinese variations of Buddhism, Islam and Christianity. In turn, China's own religions of Daoism, of filial piety and transmissions of rites have spread beyond China, a progression that is explored in detail across 19 chapters, written by leading experts in the field.
Utilising a historical focus to emphasize developments and highlight the transformations of ritual practices, festivals, divination and traditions, this Handbook deals with the emergence of new attitudes to selfhood and the great diversity of civic and other rituals. Traditional ways of forming relationships and conducting life-cycle rituals are also considered. This comprehensive Handbook investigates the ways in which all of these changes are affected by governmental controls that have intriguing unintended consequences.
Providing a solid introduction for both newcomers and informed readers, this Handbook will be a key resource for sociologists and anthropologists of ritual and religion as well as students of religious studies, contemporary Chinese studies and the sociology of religion. With extensive references to assist readers wishing to further deepen their understanding this Handbook will also be of interest to historians and individuals interested in contemporary China.
Contributors include: I. Beller-Hann, S. Billioud, D. Campo, A.Y. Chau, B. Chen, S. Feuchtwang, G. Ha, A. Iskra, S. Jones, J. Kang, R. Madsen, W. Matthews, E. Oxfeld, D.A. Palmer, P.G. Ran, M. Schumann, R.G. Tiedemann, R.P. Weller, F. Winiger, K. Wu, Y. Zhu
Trade Review‘It is notable that at one time scholars of China thought religion would wither and possibly die out - but this was mistaken. Religion simply went underground during the earlier phase of the People’s Republic of China, only to re-emerge in significant forms afterwards. This particular volume explains that fully. The book collates a number of very valuable contributions and is highly recommended.’ -- Anthony Smith, New Zealand International Review
'In the flourishing market of surveys of Chinese religions, this Handbook stands out on many counts, including breadth of coverage, quality of writing, and variety of authors' cultural and intellectual backgrounds. It is built not only on received categories for discussing religion, but even more on lived practice, thus shedding light on many black spots in textbooks. It illuminates the fast-changing religious situation while being historically informed. Both an essential reference book and a trove of brilliant new research.' --Vincent Goossaert, EPHE, PSL, France
'After the sustained, yet ultimately unsuccessful attempt to eradicate religion in mainland China during the Cultural Revolution, religious beliefs, practices and organisations have made an impressive comeback since the beginning of the reform policies in the late 1970s. This Handbook presents a rich kaleidoscope of this revival in the People's Republic of China, paying particular attention to the political and legal frameworks set by the state, which in China has always had a major impact on religious life.' --Philip Clart, Leipzig University, Germany
Table of ContentsContents: Introduction to the Handbook on Religion in China 1 Stephan Feuchtwang PART I STATE POLICIES, CIVIC SOCIETY AND CULTURAL REVIVAL 1 Religious policy in China 17 Richard Madsen 2 Philanthropy and the religious life of goodness in China 34 Robert P. Weller, C. Julia Huang and Keping Wu 3 Remaking the self: spirituality, civilization and the Chinese quest for the good life in the reform era 54 Anna Iskra, Fabian Winiger and David A. Palmer 4 The contemporary Confucian revival in perspective 75 Sébastien Billioud 5 Heritage and religion in China 96 Yujie Zhu PART II REVITALIZED AND MODERNIZING TRADITIONS 6 Life-cycle rituals in rural and urban China: birth, marriage and death 110 Ellen Oxfeld 7 Temples and festivals in rural and urban China 132 Adam Yuet Chau 8 Fate, destiny and divination 156 William Matthews 9 Redemptive societies 184 Matthias Schumann PART III DAOISM, BUDDHISM, TIBET, THE NAXI 10 Household ritual specialists 214 Stephen Jones 11 Daoism and Daoist organisations 244 Stephan Feuchtwang 12 Chinese Buddhism in the post-Mao era: preserving and reinventing the received tradition 255 Daniela Campo 13 Tibetan religions on the Qing-zang Plateau 281 Chen Bo 14 Migration myth and ancestral roads in southwest China 300 Peter Guangpei Ran PART IV ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY 15 Hui Muslims and Han converts: Islam and the paradox of recognition 313 Guangtian Ha 16 Uyghur religion 338 Ildikó Bellér-Hann 17 Protestant Christianities in contemporary China 361 R.G. Tiedemann 18 Rural to urban Protestant house churches in China 407 Jie Kang 19 Chinese Catholicism 431 Richard Madsen Index 449
