Review of Religion and Chinese Society
Journal Data
| Type | JOURNAL |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Brill Academic Publishers (NL) |
| ISSN | 2214-3955 / 2214-3947 |
| Scopus | 21101122882 |
| Wikidata | Q96719120 |
| OpenAlex | S4210229234 |
| Website | http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/22143955 |
| Total publications | 163 |
| Coverage period | 2014 - 2026 |
| Country | NL |
| Language | EN |
| Indexing | Scopus indexed |
| Impact factor | 0.229 |
| SJR | 0.145 (Q2) |
| SNIP | 0.593 |
| CiteScore | 1.2 |
This journal reviews religion and Chinese society. The anthropology/sociology of religion and Chinese area studies with strong social and cultural content are closely cognate fields that frequently publish work read by social anthropologists
Religious Studies · Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) · Cultural Studies · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography · Asian Studies and History · China's Ethnic Minorities and Relations · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance · Chinese history and philosophy
Do Buddhist Concepts Play a Role in Social Networks? Exploring the Formation of Social Networks around renjian fojiao in Contemporary China
The point of departure for this study is not a person, a group of people, or an institution, but a Buddhist concept. We argue that this concept has played an increasingly important role in the development of social networks since the 1980s, both in the wake of the revitalization of Buddhist life in mainland China after the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and with the flourishing of Buddhism in Taiwan since the late 1980s. Based on the conceptual …
“Progressives” vs. “Conservatives” and Their Intermediaries in the Epistolary Network of Republican-Period Chinese Buddhism
This study examines a network of ca. 1,100 actors and ca. 2,900 links derived from letters published in Buddhist periodicals during the Republican period (1911–1949). Exploratory visualization reveals two main communities: one centered on the reformist monk Taixu 太虛 (1890–1947) and his journal Haichaoyin, and the other on the influential Pure Land monk Yinguang 印光 (1862–1940), with several intermediary figures bridging the two regions. The study …
From Aesthetic Healing to Radical Care: Ethical Entanglements in a Chinese Multispecies Temple
Buddhist temples in urban China now serve as multispecies sites for youth seeking psychological solace. This study of the West Garden Temple explores ethical generation within interspecies entanglements. Findings show that visitors co-construct therapeutic narratives through interactions with cats. However, propelled by social media, this solidifies into a “healing myth” that systematically conceals affective extraction and the selective exclusio…
Analyzing Variations in the Religious Freedom of Hui Muslims in China in the Era of Sinicization
The Hui Muslim minority in China are dispersed throughout the country’s major urban centers, but are more densely concentrated in Central and Western provinces of Ningxia, Qinghai, and Gansu. Unlike Uyghur and other non-Hui Muslim minorities concentrated in Xinjiang, Hui Muslims have historically enjoyed relative freedom to practice their Islamic faith, albeit within the legal frameworks approved by the state. Drawing on open source reporting and…
The Space of Religion: Temple, State, and Buddhist Communities in Modern China, written by Yoshiko Ashiwa and David L. Wank
Religious Change in Post-Mao China: Toward a New Sociology of Religion, written by Sun Yanfei
From China to the U.S: A Disruptive Contrast to the Dominant Discourse in the Local Church Movement
This study examines how the historical and ecclesiastical development of the Local Church movement from China to the U.S. has led to a complex entanglement that extends beyond issues such as anti-denominationalism, patriarchy, and even modalism. By tracing the defense mechanisms that arise from controversies surrounding its heterodoxies, it offers a compelling and disruptive contrast to the dominant discourse on the Local Church in academia, ther…
Margins of Empire: The 1781 Salar Uprising and the Politics of Cumulative Marginalization
This article reinterprets the 1781 Salar uprising by moving beyond explanations centered solely on sectarian rivalry between the Khufiyya and Jahriyya menhuan. Drawing on Qing archival records, local historical accounts, and later Muslim narratives, it argues that the uprising emerged through the cumulative interaction of institutional rivalry, uneven legal intervention, concentrated local authority, economic burdens, and social exclusion in the …
In the Name of “Science”: Scientism and the Intellectual Journey of Buddhist Studies in Modern China
The intellectual journey of Buddhist studies in modern China serves as a critical lens through which to examine a traditional culture in its encounter with modernity. This study explores how science, initially a methodology, progressively gained the status of an “axiom,” profoundly reshaping the standards of legitimacy of traditional Buddhist thought. An analysis of key figures like Master Taixu and Ouyang Jingwu and significant events such as th…
Reactivating Divination in Contemporary China: An Analysis Based on the Case of the “Prediction Master” Shao Weihua
The religious revival in China that began in the 1980s has attracted plenty of attention. While previous research has noted the “divination fever” within this broader revival, the specific processes and strategic actions behind it remain underexplored. Focusing on the case of the “Prediction Master” Shao Weihua, this article investigates how Zhouyi divination has been reactivated in contemporary China. Employing the analytical concept of “institu…
The Sociological Implications of Suixi: Symbolic Communication among Buddhist Temple Volunteers in China
Suixi 随喜 , or suixi zantan 随喜赞叹 , is frequently heard in daily conversations among Buddhist temple volunteers in contemporary China. It is mostly meant as a candid and heartfelt compliment of others’ good deeds, and thus indicates that one rejoices in the merit of others. While the term suixi has philosophical and liturgical origins in various Buddhist doctrines, its use as jargon in everyday communication is not always indexed to the doctrines. …
Chinese Religious Parades as Intangible Heritage: Community, State, and Participatory Diversity in Japan and Malaya
Religious parades have moved from the margins of “folklore” to the center of intangible cultural heritage ( ICH ) policy. Drawing on multi-sited fieldwork (2023–2025) across Japan and Malaya, this article argues that Chinese religious processions function as performative public spheres in which diversity emerges not through dialogue but also through shared ritual labor. We identify two modalities—community-led parades (e.g., Kuala Lumpur’s Sin Sz…
Daoism as a Civil Religion: Ecological Potential and Limitations—Rethinking Ecological Ethics under Confucian–Daoist Mutual Learning
This article reassesses the claim that Daoism is “inherently green” and highlights the gap between Daoist ecological discourse and its social efficacy. Taking Lynn White’s problematization as a point of departure and engaging critiques by Yi-Fu Tuan and Holmes Rolston III , it argues that the idealization of wuwei and hermit-style cultivation, when detached from institutional participation, risks marginalizing Daoist ecological ethics at the soci…
Uyghur Women Activists in the Diaspora: Restorying a Genocide, written by Susan Palmer, Dilmurat Mahmut, and Abdulmuqtedir Udun
Guanyin Worship in Singapore: The Curious Case of Zu-Lin Temple, 1980s–Present
This article examines the rise and development of a Buddhist temple dedicated to Guanyin worship from the 1980s to the present. Founded in 1989, Zu-Lin Temple is a Buddhist monastery located in Bukit Batok, in western Singapore. The temple originated from a Guanyin-worshipping community that faced unprecedented challenges to its survival and continued development due to Singapore’s nation-building efforts as a global city-state. Through a series …
The Tujia lan she (拦社) Rituals in Enshi: Sociohistorical Continuity and Community Building Practices
The lan she 拦社 ceremony is performed by the Tujia people in China to worship the ancestors in the family, while the yuan fen 圆坟 ceremony is an occasion to formally bid farewell to the dead in the family. Based on a field investigation of the lan she ceremony in Dajichang Village 大集场村 in western Hubei province, the article analyzes the ritual process and its historical background and argues that the Tujia sacrificial tradition still retains some o…
A Popular Religious Sect Network and the Distribution of Morality Books in Modern China: A Case Study of the Fellowship of Goodness (Tongshanshe)
This paper examines the characteristics of the Fellowship of Goodness ( Tongshanshe 同善社 ) religious network and its Guandi ( 關帝 ) faith and analyzes how the society’s morality books were disseminated in East Asian regions in the early twentieth century. Tongshanshe, one of the redemptive societies, had a spirit-writing movement based on the Guandi faith. In the 1930s, Tongshanshe embraced the Guandi faith in the form of the Jade Emperor, emphasiz…
Rediscovering “Popular Confucianism”: Rujiao 儒教 in Modern Sichuan
Since the nineteenth century, a religious tradition known as rujiao has flourished in Southwest China. Its origin in Sichuan is closely associated with the Lord Guan spirit-writing cult in the early Qing dynasty. From the early 1840s, the Qing Emperor’s Sacred Edict was believed to possess spiritual power, and rujiao integrated the imperial decree on Preaching the Sacred Edict into its theology and rituals. Furthermore, four traditional Chinese t…
Holding the Truth in Tension: The Integral Roles and Contributions of Women in the Local Church Movement
This study aims to explain the integral roles and contributions of women in the Local Church movement. It highlights the significant influences and dedication of prominent women who have been integral to the Local Church’s development since its beginnings in the early twentieth century. However, due to the Local Church’s exclusive ecclesiology, which is characterized by male-dominated lay leadership and adherence to Watchman Nee’s theological int…
Interfaith Response to Fire Mitigation: Islamic and Confucian Perspectives in Addressing Climate Change in Indonesia
This study examines interfaith approaches to fire mitigation in Indonesia in the context of climate change, focusing on Islamic and Confucian perspectives. The Islamic principle of wasathiyah ( وسطية ) and the Confucian principle of zhong yong ( 中庸 ) play significant roles in shaping ethical frameworks for environmental responsibility and guiding disaster mitigation strategies. Using a qualitative case study approach incorporating interviews, par…
Negotiating the Christian Past in China: Memory and Missions in Contemporary Xiamen, written by Jifeng Liu
Christian Activism in the Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Movement: A History from 1984 to 2019
Churches in Hong Kong have served as contractors to the state since its British colonization. To secure their political and social privileges, these churches have often been fashioned into apologists for the state. This mentality was not widely challenged until the 1980s. Since the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, some Hong Kong church leaders, theologians, and laypeople have started to articulate a democratic vision for civil society. This p…
Idioms of Dignity and Respect: Addressing Elderly Strangers in Buddhist Monastic Publics in Reformed China
The paper examines the idioms of dignity and respect in addressing elderly individuals within Buddhist monastic publics in reformed China. It analyzes the use of three common address terms— jushi, shixiong , and lao pusa —and other phrasings as observed during fieldwork in Buddhist temples in Eastern and Southern China in the 2010s. By introducing the concept of “Buddhist monastic publics,” the study illuminates the dynamic interplay between a re…
On Urban Buddhism: A Humanistic, Secularizing, and Universal Buddhism
In this paper, I explore the religious project initiated by the renowned abbot Juexing 觉醒 and a group of scholars to create a typology of Urban Buddhism ( dushi fojiao 都市佛教 ). This religious project is discussed here as a political attempt at reform extending over the last two decades. I first review the recent discourse on Urban Buddhism, drawing on monastic and elite narratives from the turn of the century. Second, I compare Juexing’s work with…
Understanding the Geopolitical Implications of the Impending Religious Power Vacuum in Tibet
Despite being the smallest branch of Buddhism worldwide, Vajrayana Buddhism is the majority religion in Tibet, Mongolia, and Bhutan, where it wields significant religious and political power. This power has traditionally been concentrated among a small number of lamas, most notably the Dalai Lama, who upon their passing are replaced by a successor in accordance with traditional rituals. Since Tibet came under control of China in 1950, the Chinese…
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Spiritual Resources and Challenges in Modernizing China
Ensouling the Nation through Fiction: Liang Qichao’s Applied Buddhism
以小说赋魂予国家: 梁启超的应用佛学 摘要 梁启超的应用佛学在他对构建现代中国的政治想象和社会倡导中起到了重要的作用。本文以梁启超的政治小说为个案提出三个相互关联的论点。第一,梁启超在他倡导政治小说的过程中所表达的民族主义是一种源于欧洲的浪漫民族主义,但是在晚清民初的语境下被推动;第二,梁启超的应用佛学是当时汉传佛教世俗化的一部分,其目的并不像欧洲政教分离式的世俗化,而是致力于把佛教价值观普及到中国社会里;第三,梁启超的应用佛学应该被追认为当代左翼佛教的前驱之一
Shamanism and Spirit Possession in Chinese Modernity: Some Preliminary Reflections on a Gendered Religiosity of the Body
巫術與中國現代性:有関性别與身體宗教性的初步探討 摘要 近期在溫州農村和小鎮的實地考察显示出巫術、巫醫和靈媒在後毛澤東時代再次出現,減緩了其經歷明清時期新儒學佔據統治地位,和毛澤東時代壓制形成的長期下降趨勢。與同時期台灣、福建和其他華裔生活的東南亞地區,以及我們所熟知的中華帝國晚期的巫術文化不同,如今在溫州大部分的靈媒都是女性,並且,她們沒有像男巫師一樣在她們主導的剬開宗教儀式裡進行血腥和暴力的禮儀行為。本篇論文探討了四個可能的原因,解釋當今中國官方和主流社會對巫術和靈媒的反感和憎惡。文章中提出的第四個原因,關於巫師儀式表演和巫師的性別問題,至今未在有關中國巫術的研究中被深入挖掘。因此,這個問題需要在今後研究現代中國的靈魂控制等相關課題時得到更多的重視,不應把中國巫術作為一個孤立的個案,而應該把中國巫術研究放在更大的全球環境中,共同探討其在全球現代化中身體構造的重新組合
The Impact of Politics on the Minnan Buddhist Institute: Sanmin zhuyi and aiguo zhuyi in the Context of Sangha Education
政治对闽南佛学院的影响:僧伽教育中的三民主义与爱国主义 摘要 本文分析二十世纪中国政治对僧伽教育的影响。我的研究对象是闽南佛学院,主要关注其历史上三个重要时期,即 1927 年到 1933 年的成立期、1985的重建期、以及 1997 年以来的新时期。本文着重分析政治意识形态,即三民主义与爱国主义,是如何影响佛学院课程的。最后,本文以闽南佛学院作为两岸交流的案例,通过分析两岸佛教共享的价值观念,来刻画不同政治环境下成长起来的佛教教育之间的交流
Under the Umbrella: Grounded Christian Theologies and Democratic Working Alliances in Hong Kong
雨傘之下:香港基督教兩種接地神學與民主合作聯盟 摘要 本文以二零一四年雨傘運動為起點,從地理學的角度研究香港的民主景觀。此硏究乃以一個新的文化地理學路徑去分析多種的接地神學如何從下面支撐起香港基督徒對於民主運動的參與。其中心論點是已經形成了兩個不同的香港基督教接地神學 —— 合作性的和批判性的,其不同之處在於如何定位自身與香港政府之間的關係。本文通過民族誌和檔案硏究法追溯作為民主合作聯盟之起源的一九七八年金禧事件。從金禧事件到一九九七年回歸,民主共識在神學上演變為訴求方式不同的兩派,一派認為與政府合作乃執行民主改革的理想途徑,另一派則認為批評政府才是執行民主改革的理想途徑。本文使用地理學路徑做宗教和民主運動研究,對華人社會的宗教社會科學硏究或有助益
Glossolalia and Church Identity: The Role of Sound in the Making of a Chinese Pentecostal-charismatic Church
靈言與教會認同:聲音在塑造一個中國五旬節-靈恩基督教派 中所扮演的角色 摘要 靈言或說靈言是五旬節-靈恩基督教的主要特徵之一。有些語言學者卻認為靈言在音韻學上不符合邏輯,在語意學上也無意義,因此無法成為有效的溝通媒介。正統基督教則因為說靈言在儀式上有失莊重或根本打亂教會秩序而嗤之以鼻。本文不同意這樣的觀點,主張說靈言在形塑一個五旬節-靈恩基督教會的認同上,扮演相當關鍵的角色。靈言的聲音對於圈外人可能聽覺上感到刺耳,但對於信仰者而言聽來卻具撫慰與和諧特質,功能在賦予說靈言者一種特別的存在模式,也將他們整合成一個同質性的群體。為論證此一觀點,本文在理論方面擷取 Lawrence E. Sullivan 有關「聲音」與「語言」互為對比的說法,也採用 Alfred Schütz 所提「調入」與「內在時間」的見解。為說明起見,本文以真耶穌教會的靈言現象作為具體實例
Living Karma: The Religious Practices of Ouyi Zhixu, written by Beverley Foulks McGuire
Messianism and Politics in Contemporary ChinaThe Church of Almighty God: 當代中國的救世信仰與政治:全能神教會研究
International audience
Heart of Buddha, Heart of China: The Life of Tanxu, a Twentieth-Century Monk, written by James Carter
Religion in China and Its Modern Fate, written by Paul R. Katz
Syncretic Sects and Redemptive Societies: Toward a New Understanding of “Sectarianism” in the Study of Chinese Religions综摄主义教门与救世团体:中国宗教研究中的“民间教派”新解
Recent scholarship has demonstrated that "sectarian religion" can be regarded as one of the most important strands in China's religious landscape. Notwithstanding the consensus about the religious, political, and social significance of sectarian religion in Chinese history, academics disagree sharply over questions of both definition and terminology. Building on the theories of Max Weber and Pierre Bourdieu, this article defines a new approach fo…
Sects, Rituals, and Property Problems
Christianity in Contemporary China: Socio-cultural Perspectives, written by Francis Khek Gee
Chinese Rituals for Muslim Ancestors: Southeast China’s Lineages of Muslim Descent穆斯林祖先的中国式仪式: 中国东南部的穆斯林后裔群体
This paper explores unique ritual traditions of descendants of Song-Yuan Muslim sojourners in Southeast China, and the mechanisms they apply to shape their own identity. Today, members of the lineages examined here are not practicing Muslims. Though they resemble their Han neighbors almost completely, many still preserve distinct traditions of ancestral worship, aimed at commemorating their forefathers' foreign origin. So far scholars have tended…
Spells, Images, and Maṇḍalas: Tracing the Evolution of Esoteric Buddhist Rituals, written by Koichi Shinohara
Confucianism as Religion: Controversies and Consequences, written by Yong Chen
The Modern Spirit of Asia: The Spiritual and the Secular in China and India, written by Peter van der Veer
The Spread of Tibetan Buddhism in China: Charisma, Money, Enlightenment, written by Dan Smyer Yü
Protestant Funerals in Contemporary Xiamen (当代厦门的基督教葬礼: (中国城市里的变迁、抵抗与传教)
Following its designation as a Special Economic Zone in 1980, the Chinese island city of Xiamen has once again become an affluent urban center. This paper explores recent changes in discourse and practice in Xiamen’s historic Protestant community, focusing on funerals and how they could become major platforms for proselytizing. Based on data derived from interviews, participant observation, and documents issued by secular or religious authorities…
Ancestor Worship and the Longevity of Chinese Civilization (祖先崇拜与中华文明的长期延续)
Although an impressive body of literature is devoted to the practice of venerating ancestors in China and other places, there is little agreement on what ancestor worship is, where it is practiced, and whether it is an ancient and persistent trait. Ancestor worship, we argue, is an ancient trait that has persisted in China, as in other parts of the world, since prehistoric times. We also discuss its universal aspects, including those associated w…
Religion und Gesellschaft (宗教與社會: (德國及德語世界的中國宗教研究回顧)
The present article summarizes “German” research on religion and society in China, defined here as research conducted by scholars who have been trained in academic institutions of the German-speaking countries Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, or who have published at least some of their work in German. I focus on research that is related to religion and society in their broadest senses in order to introduce a diverse array of studies that are d…
Does Chinese Civilization Hinge on Ancestor Worship
Mapping the Sacred: Geospatial Studies on Chinese Religions
Spatial Study of Mosques (中国清真寺的空间研究: (新疆和宁夏的案例研究)
Different from conventional research methods, spatial study applies gis to study space, time, and mapping, all of which are valuable in analyzing religious institutions, sites, and locations. Supported by multiple spatial, digital, and statistical methods, this study selects eight cities and prefectures in China and examines their Islamic mosques based on accessible government data. Following a discussion of methodologies and data, the article fo…
Remapping Locust Temples of Historical China and the Use of GIS (重制陳正祥之蝗神廟分佈圖與淺談 GIS 的使用)
Building temples in order to obtain relief from natural plagues was a common religious practice in premodern societies. In historical China, citizens built locust temples in hope of avoiding locust infestations. There were no centrally collected records in historical China of such plagues or other natural disasters. In order to discern patterns in the distribution of locust plagues over time and geographical space throughout historical China, thi…