Western Missionaries in Modern China
From Ministers of Foreign Teachings to Agents of Imperialism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3974248 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lars Peter Laamann, Lars Laamann (0000-0002-3463-2925, SOAS University of London, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 61 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 105-125 |
| Publication date | 2021-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | History of Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0018-2710 • E-ISSN: 1545-6935 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1086/714964 |
| OpenAlex | W3194989996 |
| Language | DE |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 3 |
Western missionaries working for the proselytization of Christianity during the early twentieth century were predominantly representatives of a new worldview that put scientific objectives on a par with the aim of converting the Chinese to their faith. Conventional wisdom stipulates that the 1920s brought about a sea change in public attitudes, transforming the missionaries' perceived role in China, as well as in the colonized world, into "agents of imperialism." This article posits that this may well have been the case within the ranks of a radicalizing and ideologically reorienting intellectual elite. However, the majority of the population within the Republic of China held a variety of views, from deep-rooted suspicion ("Western clerics as alien magicians") to high esteem ("clerics as medical experts"). The May Fourth Movement's axiom of a monolithic, "patriotic," and "scientific" opposition to the Western missionaries thus needs to be replaced by a more nuanced interpretation
Alien · China · Christianity · Elite · Faith · Ideology · Opposition (politics · Political science · Politics · Population · Sociology · Theology · Chinese history and philosophy · Christian Theology and Mission · Demography · Gender Studies · History · Japanese History and Culture · Law · Philosophy · Religious studies
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |