Social Scientific Studies of Religion in China: Methodology, Theories, and FindingsFenggang Yang, Graeme Lang The revival of religious belief and practice in China over the past thirty years, after decades of severe repression, has attracted much attention by scholars. Social scientific studies of religion by mainland Chinese scholars has also increased in recent years, using theories and methods developed mainly outside China. Increasingly, mainland scholars are also debating whether theories and concepts developed in western societies are fully appropriate for the study of religion in Chinese societies. This volume presents a selection of papers by sociologists, anthropologists, and historians of religion on these themes. The chapters include rich field studies of particular religions and religious activities, along with theoretical and historical reflections by scholars inside and outside China on problems and opportunities in the revival of the social scientific study of religion in Chinese societies. |
Contents
Introduction The Rising Social Scientific Study of Religion in China | 1 |
Part I Methodological and Theoretical Challenges | 21 |
Chapter One Thirty Years of Religious Studies in China | 23 |
Chapter Two History as a Factor in the Social Scientific Study of Chinese Religion | 47 |
Chapter Three Explanations of International Differences in Religion that May Apply to China | 61 |
Chapter Four The Dilemma of Pursuing Chinese Religious Studies within the Framework of Western Religious Theories | 87 |
Some Introductory Notes for the Intrepid Western Scholar | 109 |
A Challenge to Definitions of Religion and Theories of Ritual | 133 |
Chapter Seven Contemporary Chinese Beliefs and Spiritual Pursuits | 165 |
Chapter Eight Exploring the Relationship between Religion and Ethnicity in China | 181 |
A Case Study of the Hebei Province Dragon Tablet Fair | 195 |
Chapter Ten On the Problem of Developing a Mechanism for the Participation of Religion in the Social Services Sector | 227 |
Chapter Eleven Religion and Environmentalism in Chinese Societies | 245 |
Chapter Twelve Secular State and Religious Society in Mainland China and Taiwan | 273 |
Afterword | 297 |
| 303 | |
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academic ancestors Beijing Buddhist C.K. Yang charitable activities charitable enterprises Chinese culture Chinese religion Chinese religious studies Chinese scholars Chinese society Christian churches civil society concepts conducted Confucian contemporary cult Daoist deities donations Dragon Tablet Fair economic Eileen Barker environment environmental established ethnic minorities Fair Heads Falun Gong Fan Zhuang festivals forms Fujian gion gious global Hong Kong human individual influence Islam issues jiao booth lineage mainland China modern movements official participation People’s political protection Putian Putian plains relationship reli religion in China religious activities religious belief religious charitable institutions religious economies religious groups religious organizations religious practice religious studies ritual traditions role secular Shanghai Social Sciences sociology of religion spiritual Stark study of Chinese study of religion survey Taiwan Taiwanese temple fair theories tion Transition Rite University Press village Western worship Yang’s Zhao County Zhuang Zongjiao