The panacea of culture
The changing fortunes and careers of China’s Dongba priests
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20501719 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Zheng Xie (0000-0003-2492-0592), Yochanan Altman (Kedge Business School) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 649-660 |
| Publication date | 2015-10-05 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cross Cultural Management An International Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1352-7606 • E-ISSN: 1758-6089 |
| Publisher | Emerald (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1108/ccm-01-2015-0001 |
| OpenAlex | W1715590937 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 27 |
Purpose – On the background of China’s turn to a market economy and a consumer-driven society, the purpose of this paper is to recount the fortunes of the age-old religion of the Naxi people and their farmer-priests, the dongba . Design/methodology/approach – Detailed ethnography, including participant observation, the collection of life histories and interviews. Findings – The might of the tourist industry dominates the changes in the profession of the dongba priests, from a faith-based practice to a tourist-driven service; aided by a confluence of interests of relevant stakeholders: the Chinese state, the provincial governments, the Naxi elite. At the core is the transformation, in Chinese terms, from a superstitious religion to culture heritage. Research limitations/implications – Like all case studies and common to ethnographic-based research, the small scale of the research poses questions of generalizability. Practical implications – Shedding light on a little known aspect of the world’s largest economy is of high relevance to business and management scholars. Social implications – The transformation of the dongba demonstrates how major societal changes that happen within a couple of decades affect a society and its economy and a central career track within it. Originality/value – The case study testifies to the encounter of a major modern industry: tourism, with an archaic religion in a remote corner of China, and the transformation of the latter as result
China · Economics · Economy · Elite · Ethnography · Naxi · Originality · Participant observation · Political science · Politics · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Tourism · Anthropology · Global and Cross-Cultural Management · Law · Religious Tourism and Spaces · Workplace Spirituality and Leadership
China's minorities
Reconstructing Twentieth-Century China
Chinese Religiosities
The Politics of Tourism in Asia
Cultural Integration and Education of the Naxi
Religious Revival among the Zhuang People in China
Naxi Intellectuals and Ethnic Identity
Ethnic tourism
Analysis of international tourist arrivals in China
Tourism development of World Heritage Sites in China
The discourse of power
Cultural Tourism, Ceremony and the State in China
Jobs, Careers, and Callings
Commodification and the selling of ethnic music to tourists
In search of equality
China's Ethnic Minorities and Globalisation
Money, the Mountain, and State Power in a Naxi Village
Tourism Politics in Lijiang, China
The Maoist Shaman and the Madman
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |