Chinese Religious Life (2012)

Editors: Palmer, David A Shive, Glenn Wickeri, Philip
ISBN: 978 0 19 973138 1
Format: Paperback
Pages: 352
List price(s): 18.99 GBP 29.95 USD
Publication date: 27 October 2011
Published by Oxford University Press

Full description

Written by a team of internationally renowned scholars, this volume provides an in-depth introduction to religion in contemporary China. Instead of adopting the traditional focus on pre-modern religious history and doctrinal traditions, Chinese Religious Life examines the social dimensions of religious life, with essays devoted to religion in urban, rural, and ethnic minority settings; to the religious dimensions of body, gender, environment, and civil society; and to the historical, sociological, economic, and political aspects of religion in contemporary Chinese society.

Table of contents

Introduction Philip Wickeri

Part I: Ways of Being Religious in the Chinese World
1. Spirituality in a Modern Chinese Metropolis, Lizhu Fan and James Whitehead
2. Communal Worship and Festivals in Chinese Villages, Wai-lun Tam
3. The Religious Life of Ethnic Minority Communities, Philip Wickeri and Yik-Fai Tam
4. Modalities of Doing Religion, Adam Chau

Part II. Religion, Culture, and Society
5. The Body: Health, Nation, and Transcendence, David A. Palmer
6. Gender and Sexuality, C. Julia Huang, Elena Valussi, and David A. Palmer
7. Chinese Cosmology and the Environment, Robert Weller
8. Religious Philanthropy and Chinese Civil Society, Andre Laliberte, David A. Palmer, and Keping Wu

Part III. Religion, Politics, and the Economy
9. Religion in Chinese Social and Political History, David A. Palmer
10. The Social Organization of Religious Communities in the Twentieth Century, Vincent Goossaert
11. Contemporary Issues in State-Religion Relations, Andre Laliberte
12. Market Economy and the Revival of Religions, Fenggang Yang

Part IV. Global Perspectives
13. The Globalization of Chinese Religions and Traditions, Richard Madsen and Elijah Siegler Conclusion, Glenn Shive Glossary Suggested Further Readings Index