When Deng Xiaoping started his Reform and Opening Up (gaige kaifang) policies in 1978, the Chines... more When Deng Xiaoping started his Reform and Opening Up (gaige kaifang) policies in 1978, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) also ushered in a period of tolerance for religious practice, guided by a strong modernist belief that religion would disappear by itself as a result of economic development. At the level of political ideology, the Chinese party-state continues to preach strict secularism and atheism. Nevertheless, at another level of discourse, there are indications that point in another direction, at least for Chinese Mahayana Buddhism. A speech by President Xi Jinping in March 2014 seemed to confirm the trend of the preceding decade towards an increasingly positive official appraisal of the role of Buddhism in Chinese society. The significance of this latest development is underscored by the multitude of Chinese articles appearing in Buddhist publications that optimistically herald a new era for Buddhism in China. This chapter argues-and in this way gives some credence to the optimism of Buddhist leaders and intellectuals-that the Communist Party, in line with its transition from a Marxist to a nationalist party, is now gradually relaxing its programme of secularism. In doing so, it is especially looking towards Buddhism, coopting it in the party's gargantuan task of governing China, and at the same time allowing it to re-enter sectors of Chinese society that until very recently were strictly off limits to religion. The Failed Secularization of Chinese Society One of the salient attributes of modernity is the rise of the modern state. In many areas of the globe, this rise has entailed a move towards secularism, the exclusion of the prevailing religion from nascent modern institutions, and its banishment to the private sphere. The inhabitants of the state are first of all citizens, and religious
International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, 2009
In order to get a fuller picture of the conditions for religious freedom for ethnic minorities in... more In order to get a fuller picture of the conditions for religious freedom for ethnic minorities in China, we must both look beyond laws and central policies as well as beyond the more publicised cases of religious suppression in Tibet and Xinjiang, both hot-spots of party-state concerns of ethnic separatism. The province of Yunnan – where one-third of the population are members of one of 26 different recognised ethnic minorities – presents a more nuanced picture of the conditions for practicing religion in the People's Republic of China. This article argues that in the case of China we need to expand the concept of implementation by taking into account the public discourse that accompanies the laws and policies on both religion and ethnic minorities. Local officials and intellectuals belonging to ethnic minorities in Yunnan have been successful in exploiting public discourse on 'religious freedom' and 'cultural rights of ethnic minorities' in order to revive or re...
China at the beginning of the new millennium. Living in the periphery of Tibetan, Han Chinese and... more China at the beginning of the new millennium. Living in the periphery of Tibetan, Han Chinese and other Tibeto-Burman ethnic groups, Premi villagers have continued to keep an understanding of how the world works that is markedly different from their neighbours. The all-encompassing economic development of China is posing new challenges to the intangible entities in Premi cosmology. In its management of forests, waterways or birth control, the Chinese state is increasingly interfering with Premi ways of dealing with their surroundings. The chapter proposes to focus on the way one category of intangible entities of Premi cosmology, the lwéjabu or water deities, are seen as acting towards these challenges, rather than on the underlying ontological changes. An event where a member of a neighbouring ethnic group becomes an unwitting participant in a Premi medium séance, makes the case for approaching extra-human forms of agency by beginning with the 'work' or 'effect' of the divine entities.
Passage to manhood : Youth Migration, Heroin, and AIDS in Southwest China : [book review]
... Cataloging-in-Publication Data Liu, Shao-hua, 1968 Passage to manhood : youth migration, her... more ... Cataloging-in-Publication Data Liu, Shao-hua, 1968 Passage to manhood : youth migration, heroin, and AIDS in Southwest China / Shao-hua Liu. ... Lan Pei-chia, Huang Shu-min, Angela Ki Chi Leung, Anne Routon, Fred Chiu, Cheng Ling-fang, Ting Jen-chieh, and Anru Lee. ...
Resilient Cosmologies: Water Deities and Divine Agency in Post-Mao China
This article explores ritual practices among the Premi people in
Southwest China at the beginning... more This article explores ritual practices among the Premi people in Southwest China at the beginning of the new millennium. Living in the periphery of Tibetan, Han Chinese and other Tibeto-Burman ethnic groups, Premi villagers have continued to keep an understanding of how the world works that is markedly different from their neighbours. The all-encompassing economic development of China is posing new challenges to the intangible entities in Premi cosmology. In its management of forests, waterways or birth control, the Chinese state is increasingly interfering with Premi ways of dealing with their surroundings. The chapter proposes to focus on the way one category of intangible entities of Premi cosmology, the lwéjabu or water deities, are seen as acting towards these challenges, rather than on the underlying ontological changes. An event where a member of a neighbouring ethnic group becomes an unwitting participant in a Premi medium séance makes the case for approaching extra-human forms of agency by beginning with the ‘work’ or ‘effect’ of the divine entities.
Innledning I de seneste år har etniske konflikter innenfor Kinas grenser flere gange skapt store ... more Innledning I de seneste år har etniske konflikter innenfor Kinas grenser flere gange skapt store overskrifter i mediene verden over. Konflikten mellom tibetanere og kinesiske styresmakter har hatt vestens oppmerksomhet i flere årtier. Et stort og velorganisert eksilmiljø og en karismatisk lederfigur som Dalai Lama har sterkt bidratt til at Tibet er et fast emne på listen av menneskerettighetsspørsmål kinesiske myndigheter blir jevnlig konfrontert med. Etter et par voldsomme handlinger i 2009 og igjen i 2010 og 2011, ble verdens blikk rettet mot et annet vedvarende etnisk konflikt i Kina:
Ifølge en spørreundersøkelse foretatt av et universitet i Shanghai i 2005 kaller 300 millioner ki... more Ifølge en spørreundersøkelse foretatt av et universitet i Shanghai i 2005 kaller 300 millioner kinesere seg religiøse. 1 En forsker på kinesisk religion i Hong Kong går så langt som å fremheve at hele 95 % av den kinesiske befolkning kan kalles religiøs. I hver fald hvis man også inkluderer ritualer i forbindelse med forfedredyrkelse eller aktiviteter for å få større lykke i forbindelse med helse, penger eller andre av livets utfordringer. 2 Offisielle kinesiske tall er vesentlig lavere og snakker om 100 millioner troende, men de bygger på statistikk som er mer enn tjue år gammel. Det er selvfølgelig ikke opplagt å måle folks religiøse tro, isaer ikke i et land som Kina som har hatt en nyere historie med undertrykking av religiøs praksis. Om ikke så meget annet, så viser tallene at antall troende i Kina er på vei oppover og at der finnes rom i det kinesiske samfunn i dag for å praktisere sin religion. Dette rom er bl. a. oppstod fordi Kinas kommunistpartiet etter Mao--tiden har utviklet et mer tolerant syn på religionens plass i det kinesiske samfunnet. Mange kinesere som har opplevd undertrykkelsen av religiøs praksis under Kulturrevolusjonen gir i dag uttrykk for at de har gode muligheter for å praktisere sine ulike religioner.
When Deng Xiaoping started his Reform and Opening Up (gaige kaifang) policies in 1978, the Chines... more When Deng Xiaoping started his Reform and Opening Up (gaige kaifang) policies in 1978, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) also ushered in a period of tolerance for religious practice, guided by a strong modernist belief that religion would disappear by itself as a result of economic development. At the level of political ideology, the Chinese party-state continues to preach strict secularism and atheism. Nevertheless, at another level of discourse, there are indications that point in another direction, at least for Chinese Mahayana Buddhism. A speech by President Xi Jinping in March 2014 seemed to confirm the trend of the preceding decade towards an increasingly positive official appraisal of the role of Buddhism in Chinese society. The significance of this latest development is underscored by the multitude of Chinese articles appearing in Buddhist publications that optimistically herald a new era for Buddhism in China. This chapter argues--and in this way gives some credence to the optimism of Buddhist leaders and intellectuals--that the Communist Party, in tact with its transition from a Marxist to a nationalist party, is now gradually relaxing its program of secularism. In doing so, it is especially looking towards Buddhism, co-opting it in its gargantuan task of governing China, and at the same time allowing it to re-enter sectors of Chinese society that until very recently were strictly off limits to religion.
When Deng Xiaoping started his Reform and Opening Up (gaige kaifang) policies in 1978, the Chines... more When Deng Xiaoping started his Reform and Opening Up (gaige kaifang) policies in 1978, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) also ushered in a period of tolerance for religious practice, guided by a strong modernist belief that religion would disappear by itself as a result of economic development. At the level of political ideology, the Chinese party-state continues to preach strict secularism and atheism. Nevertheless, at another level of discourse, there are indications that point in another direction, at least for Chinese Mahayana Buddhism. A speech by President Xi Jinping in March 2014 seemed to confirm the trend of the preceding decade towards an increasingly positive official appraisal of the role of Buddhism in Chinese society. The significance of this latest development is underscored by the multitude of Chinese articles appearing in Buddhist publications that optimistically herald a new era for Buddhism in China. This chapter argues-and in this way gives some credence to the optimism of Buddhist leaders and intellectuals-that the Communist Party, in line with its transition from a Marxist to a nationalist party, is now gradually relaxing its programme of secularism. In doing so, it is especially looking towards Buddhism, coopting it in the party's gargantuan task of governing China, and at the same time allowing it to re-enter sectors of Chinese society that until very recently were strictly off limits to religion. The Failed Secularization of Chinese Society One of the salient attributes of modernity is the rise of the modern state. In many areas of the globe, this rise has entailed a move towards secularism, the exclusion of the prevailing religion from nascent modern institutions, and its banishment to the private sphere. The inhabitants of the state are first of all citizens, and religious
International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, 2009
In order to get a fuller picture of the conditions for religious freedom for ethnic minorities in... more In order to get a fuller picture of the conditions for religious freedom for ethnic minorities in China, we must both look beyond laws and central policies as well as beyond the more publicised cases of religious suppression in Tibet and Xinjiang, both hot-spots of party-state concerns of ethnic separatism. The province of Yunnan – where one-third of the population are members of one of 26 different recognised ethnic minorities – presents a more nuanced picture of the conditions for practicing religion in the People's Republic of China. This article argues that in the case of China we need to expand the concept of implementation by taking into account the public discourse that accompanies the laws and policies on both religion and ethnic minorities. Local officials and intellectuals belonging to ethnic minorities in Yunnan have been successful in exploiting public discourse on 'religious freedom' and 'cultural rights of ethnic minorities' in order to revive or re...
China at the beginning of the new millennium. Living in the periphery of Tibetan, Han Chinese and... more China at the beginning of the new millennium. Living in the periphery of Tibetan, Han Chinese and other Tibeto-Burman ethnic groups, Premi villagers have continued to keep an understanding of how the world works that is markedly different from their neighbours. The all-encompassing economic development of China is posing new challenges to the intangible entities in Premi cosmology. In its management of forests, waterways or birth control, the Chinese state is increasingly interfering with Premi ways of dealing with their surroundings. The chapter proposes to focus on the way one category of intangible entities of Premi cosmology, the lwéjabu or water deities, are seen as acting towards these challenges, rather than on the underlying ontological changes. An event where a member of a neighbouring ethnic group becomes an unwitting participant in a Premi medium séance, makes the case for approaching extra-human forms of agency by beginning with the 'work' or 'effect' of the divine entities.
Passage to manhood : Youth Migration, Heroin, and AIDS in Southwest China : [book review]
... Cataloging-in-Publication Data Liu, Shao-hua, 1968 Passage to manhood : youth migration, her... more ... Cataloging-in-Publication Data Liu, Shao-hua, 1968 Passage to manhood : youth migration, heroin, and AIDS in Southwest China / Shao-hua Liu. ... Lan Pei-chia, Huang Shu-min, Angela Ki Chi Leung, Anne Routon, Fred Chiu, Cheng Ling-fang, Ting Jen-chieh, and Anru Lee. ...
Resilient Cosmologies: Water Deities and Divine Agency in Post-Mao China
This article explores ritual practices among the Premi people in
Southwest China at the beginning... more This article explores ritual practices among the Premi people in Southwest China at the beginning of the new millennium. Living in the periphery of Tibetan, Han Chinese and other Tibeto-Burman ethnic groups, Premi villagers have continued to keep an understanding of how the world works that is markedly different from their neighbours. The all-encompassing economic development of China is posing new challenges to the intangible entities in Premi cosmology. In its management of forests, waterways or birth control, the Chinese state is increasingly interfering with Premi ways of dealing with their surroundings. The chapter proposes to focus on the way one category of intangible entities of Premi cosmology, the lwéjabu or water deities, are seen as acting towards these challenges, rather than on the underlying ontological changes. An event where a member of a neighbouring ethnic group becomes an unwitting participant in a Premi medium séance makes the case for approaching extra-human forms of agency by beginning with the ‘work’ or ‘effect’ of the divine entities.
Innledning I de seneste år har etniske konflikter innenfor Kinas grenser flere gange skapt store ... more Innledning I de seneste år har etniske konflikter innenfor Kinas grenser flere gange skapt store overskrifter i mediene verden over. Konflikten mellom tibetanere og kinesiske styresmakter har hatt vestens oppmerksomhet i flere årtier. Et stort og velorganisert eksilmiljø og en karismatisk lederfigur som Dalai Lama har sterkt bidratt til at Tibet er et fast emne på listen av menneskerettighetsspørsmål kinesiske myndigheter blir jevnlig konfrontert med. Etter et par voldsomme handlinger i 2009 og igjen i 2010 og 2011, ble verdens blikk rettet mot et annet vedvarende etnisk konflikt i Kina:
Ifølge en spørreundersøkelse foretatt av et universitet i Shanghai i 2005 kaller 300 millioner ki... more Ifølge en spørreundersøkelse foretatt av et universitet i Shanghai i 2005 kaller 300 millioner kinesere seg religiøse. 1 En forsker på kinesisk religion i Hong Kong går så langt som å fremheve at hele 95 % av den kinesiske befolkning kan kalles religiøs. I hver fald hvis man også inkluderer ritualer i forbindelse med forfedredyrkelse eller aktiviteter for å få større lykke i forbindelse med helse, penger eller andre av livets utfordringer. 2 Offisielle kinesiske tall er vesentlig lavere og snakker om 100 millioner troende, men de bygger på statistikk som er mer enn tjue år gammel. Det er selvfølgelig ikke opplagt å måle folks religiøse tro, isaer ikke i et land som Kina som har hatt en nyere historie med undertrykking av religiøs praksis. Om ikke så meget annet, så viser tallene at antall troende i Kina er på vei oppover og at der finnes rom i det kinesiske samfunn i dag for å praktisere sin religion. Dette rom er bl. a. oppstod fordi Kinas kommunistpartiet etter Mao--tiden har utviklet et mer tolerant syn på religionens plass i det kinesiske samfunnet. Mange kinesere som har opplevd undertrykkelsen av religiøs praksis under Kulturrevolusjonen gir i dag uttrykk for at de har gode muligheter for å praktisere sine ulike religioner.
When Deng Xiaoping started his Reform and Opening Up (gaige kaifang) policies in 1978, the Chines... more When Deng Xiaoping started his Reform and Opening Up (gaige kaifang) policies in 1978, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) also ushered in a period of tolerance for religious practice, guided by a strong modernist belief that religion would disappear by itself as a result of economic development. At the level of political ideology, the Chinese party-state continues to preach strict secularism and atheism. Nevertheless, at another level of discourse, there are indications that point in another direction, at least for Chinese Mahayana Buddhism. A speech by President Xi Jinping in March 2014 seemed to confirm the trend of the preceding decade towards an increasingly positive official appraisal of the role of Buddhism in Chinese society. The significance of this latest development is underscored by the multitude of Chinese articles appearing in Buddhist publications that optimistically herald a new era for Buddhism in China. This chapter argues--and in this way gives some credence to the optimism of Buddhist leaders and intellectuals--that the Communist Party, in tact with its transition from a Marxist to a nationalist party, is now gradually relaxing its program of secularism. In doing so, it is especially looking towards Buddhism, co-opting it in its gargantuan task of governing China, and at the same time allowing it to re-enter sectors of Chinese society that until very recently were strictly off limits to religion.
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Papers by Koen Wellens
Southwest China at the beginning of the new millennium. Living
in the periphery of Tibetan, Han Chinese and other Tibeto-Burman
ethnic groups, Premi villagers have continued to keep an
understanding of how the world works that is markedly different
from their neighbours. The all-encompassing economic
development of China is posing new challenges to the intangible
entities in Premi cosmology. In its management of forests,
waterways or birth control, the Chinese state is increasingly
interfering with Premi ways of dealing with their surroundings.
The chapter proposes to focus on the way one category of
intangible entities of Premi cosmology, the lwéjabu or water
deities, are seen as acting towards these challenges, rather than
on the underlying ontological changes. An event where a
member of a neighbouring ethnic group becomes an unwitting
participant in a Premi medium séance makes the case for
approaching extra-human forms of agency by beginning with the
‘work’ or ‘effect’ of the divine entities.
宗教观念之间的差异及其原因, 对于认识西南少数民族地区信仰体系的多元性有一定的经验性意义。
Southwest China at the beginning of the new millennium. Living
in the periphery of Tibetan, Han Chinese and other Tibeto-Burman
ethnic groups, Premi villagers have continued to keep an
understanding of how the world works that is markedly different
from their neighbours. The all-encompassing economic
development of China is posing new challenges to the intangible
entities in Premi cosmology. In its management of forests,
waterways or birth control, the Chinese state is increasingly
interfering with Premi ways of dealing with their surroundings.
The chapter proposes to focus on the way one category of
intangible entities of Premi cosmology, the lwéjabu or water
deities, are seen as acting towards these challenges, rather than
on the underlying ontological changes. An event where a
member of a neighbouring ethnic group becomes an unwitting
participant in a Premi medium séance makes the case for
approaching extra-human forms of agency by beginning with the
‘work’ or ‘effect’ of the divine entities.
宗教观念之间的差异及其原因, 对于认识西南少数民族地区信仰体系的多元性有一定的经验性意义。