Communism in an Enchanted World

Chinese Folk Religion under Mao Zedong

AvS. A. Smith

Inbunden, Engelska, 2026

Del i serien Cambridge Studies in the History of the People's Republic of China

448 kr

Kommande

Beskrivning

Drawing together decades of research, Steve Smith explores the survival and adaptation of folk beliefs in Mao's China in the face of seismic social change and growing political repression. Bringing an oftenneglected aspect of modern Chinese history to the fore, he shows how folk religion maintained a vital presence in everyday life. In myriad ways, through Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism, spirit mediums and spirit healing, divination, geomancy, and the reform of traditional marriage and funeral rites, rituals, and beliefs provided resources for adaptation and resistance to the regime. Nevertheless the survival of folk religion must be set against the secularizing forces that the regime unleashed. This unique history gives readers a vivid sense of life under Mao Zedong as vibrant, contentious, and resilient - a far cry from stereotypes of a secular, regimented, and monochrome society.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2026-05-31
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Serie:Cambridge Studies in the History of the People's Republic of China
Antal sidor:415
Förlag:Cambridge University Press
ISBN:9781009600934

Utforska kategorier

Asiens historia inom Historia och arkeologi
Religion: allmänt inom Filosofi och religion
Buddhism inom Filosofi och religion

Mer om författaren

Steve Smith is Emeritus Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. His last book, Russia in Revolution, won the BASEES Alec Nove Prize and the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize.

Recensioner i media

'A truly amazing book. There is nothing like it either in religious studies or in the field of Chinese history. Smith destroys the myth that China's communists indiscriminately put religion to the sledgehammer, showing instead how the twin forces of revolution and religion reshaped every element of life, from propaganda to pig breeding.' Thomas David DuBois, author of Empire and the Meaning of Religion in Northeast Asia

Innehållsförteckning

Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Ancestor worship: household and lineage; 2. Temple religion; 3. Worshipping the Gods; 4. Folk religion and the three teachings; 5. Ghosts and demons; 6. Marriage, fertility and folk religion; 7. Death and funeral ritual; 8. Searching for sacred medicine; 9. Health and spirit healing; 10. Spirit mediums and witchcraft; 11. Geomancers and Yinyang masters; 12. Divination and fortune-telling; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.