The Religious Question in Modern China

by Vincent Goossaert, David A. Palmer

Recent events—from strife in Tibet and the rapid growth of Christianity in China to the spectacular expansion of Chinese Buddhist organizations around the globe—vividly demonstrate that one cannot understand the modern Chinese world without attending closely to the question of religion. The Religious Question in Modern China highlights parallels and contrasts between historical events, political regimes, and cultural movements to explore how religion has challenged and responded to secular Chinese modernity, from 1898 to the present.

 

Vincent Goossaert and David A. Palmer piece together the puzzle of religion in China not by looking separately at different religions in different contexts, but by writing a unified story of how religion has shaped, and in turn been shaped by, modern Chinese society. From Chinese medicine and the martial arts to communal temple cults and revivalist redemptive societies, the authors demonstrate that from the nineteenth century onward, as the Chinese state shifted, the religious landscape consistently resurfaced in a bewildering variety of old and new forms. The Religious Question in Modern China integrates historical, anthropological, and sociological perspectives in a comprehensive overview of China’s religious history that is certain to become an indispensible reference for specialists and students alike.

Genres: China, Religion, Nonfiction, History, Academic, Spirituality, Asia

480 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

And excellent introduction to the modern issues facing Chinese religion and how things got to be the way they are. Very readable and well designed from one concept to the next.

[versarbre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for readers interested in Chinese modern history, and social historians of ideas who are interested in the making of modern world; and historical anthropologists who are interested in the evolution of religion in a comparative lens. The broad scope of the empirical materials may be a bit difficult for those readers who do not have sound knowledge in Chinese life to comprehend the author's pilot concerns, though. Still highly recommended.

[Jessica Zu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book forced me to add tons of books to my already infinite to-read list.
but it reads more like a huge literature review than original research, a more or less accurate representation of the state of field in modern chinese religions
i can use it as a text book and its bibliography for generating my reading list for my general exams.