Globalization and the Making of Religious Modernity in China: Transnational Religions, Local Agents, and the Study of Religion, 1800-Present

摘要

Globalization and the Making of Religious Modernity in China is a collection of essays exploring the often-asked but hitherto understudied questions: what were the changes in the religious field as China embarked on its journey to "modernity," and, more specifically, how did the process of globalization affect the Chinese way of dealing with religion. Inspired by Beyer's notion of "the existence of a global religious system," the authors propose to "undertake some of the necessary archaeological and historical groundwork in the area of Chinese religions which at a later stage may underpin the description of such a global religious system" (p.3). They divide the book into four themes: "transformation of the religious field in China," "global currents and their local refractions," "Chinese-Western Encounters" and "knowledge transfer, academic networks, identity, and the study of religion." These four themes cover a wide range of topics, from the religious pluralism demonstrated in managing city god temples in the 19th century to the recent revival of Confucianism in the town of Quzhou.