Supernatural Politics

Mao Zedong and the Drive to Eliminate Religion in China, 1949-79

AvS. A. Smith

Inbunden, Engelska, 2026

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

448 kr

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Beskrivning

In this landmark contribution to the study of modern China, Steve Smith examines the paradox of 'supernatural politics'. He shows that we cannot understand the meaning of the Communist revolution to the Han Chinese without exploring their belief in gods, ghosts and ancestors. China was a religious society when the Communist Party took power in 1949, and it sought to erode the influence of the minority religions of Buddhism, Daoism, Catholicism and Protestantism. However, it was the folk religion of the great majority that seemed to symbolize China's backwardness. Smith explores the Party's efforts to eliminate belief in supernatural entities and cosmic forces through propaganda campaigns and popularizing science. Yet he also shows how the Party engaged in 'supernatural politics' to expand its support, utilizing imagery, metaphors and values that resonated with folk religion and Confucianism. Folk religion is thus essential to understanding the transformative experience of revolution.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2026-05-31
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Serie:Cambridge Studies in the History of the People's Republic of China
Antal sidor:387
Förlag:Cambridge University Press
ISBN:9781009600989

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

'Supernatural Politics is an extraordinary work by a comparative-minded historian at the top of his game. Filled with bold arguments and enlivened by vivid details culled from a broad range of sources, Smith sheds new light on everything from competing Chinese official views of different religious practices in the 1950s to the role of traditional symbolism in Mao's personality cult.' Jeffrey Wasserstrom, editor of The Oxford History of Modern China

Innehållsförteckning

Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Religion, superstition, and science; 2. The religious policy of the Chinese communist party; 3. Crushing the redemptive religious societies; 4. Buddhists and Daoists under fire; 5. Protestants and Catholics under fire; 6. The politics of supernatural rumour; 7. Local officials confront folk religion; 8. Propaganda against religion and superstition; 9. Anti-superstition campaigns, 1963–76; 10. Confucian culture and the Chinese communist party; 11. Religion and resistance; 12. The supernatural in Maoist political culture; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.