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Spiritual State, Material Temple: The Political Economy of Religious Revival in China |
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| Author |
Chang, Kuei-min
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| Date | 2016 |
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| Pages | 263 |
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| Publisher | Columbia University |
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| Publisher Url |
https://www.columbia.edu/
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| Location | New York, NY, US [紐約, 紐約州, 美國] |
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| Content type | 博碩士論文=Thesis and Dissertation |
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| Language | 英文=English |
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| Degree | doctor |
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| Institution | Columbia University |
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| Department | Political Science |
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| Advisor | Nathan, Andrew J. |
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| Publication year | 2016 |
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| Keyword | Temples – Conservation and restoration; Religion and politics; Economic development – Political aspects; Economics; Political science |
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| Abstract | China’s dramatic religious revival over the last three decades has defied two dominant theories in the study of religion and politics: the secularization theory and the market theory of religion. Put simply, the former predicts declining religious significance along with economic modernization; and the latter holds that religious vitality is a function of state regulation. Not only is religious observance on the rise despite continued economic growth, but also the upsurge of religion has coincided with the atheist state’s unceasing effort to curb religious expansion. This dissertation focuses on the material dimension of religious revival. It investigates the mixed material and ideational incentives of both state and religious actors in the processes of temple restoration, their interactions, and the resulting variety of temple autonomy.
One of the key findings is that mass temple restoration has been greatly driven by state agents acting on their own interests. The atheist state and its local agents encourage temple reconstruction and tolerate priestly autonomy when doing so is expedient to social stability and economic growth imperative to their political survival. This dissertation argues that temple restoration has become a repertoire in local economic development. Local state agents seek to restore temples and redirect their functions to mass tourist consumption. Due to the immobility of temple assets, aspiring religious leaders seek to demonstrate political conformity and the temple’s economic contribution in their struggle for religious autonomy. As a result, Buddhism and Taoism have been battling with constant pressure of local state-led religious commodification. The close tie between temples and the interests of various state agents has resulted in uncertain religious development and a state-religion relationship that is simultaneously cooperative and contentious. The research hence contributes to our understanding of the antinomies of authoritarian state legitimation wherein state-religion enmities are endogenous to the system of economic development and religious governance. More broadly, the research situates the upsurge of religion in the larger cultural and institutional contexts and explores less-studied top-down religious institutionalization and its sociopolitical consequences. It therefore enriches the study of religion and politics by bringing the modernizing state and its local representatives to the forefront as the agent of secularization as well as religious restoration. |
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| Table of contents | List Of Figures And Tables iii
Acronyms iv
1 Introduction 1
Situating “Religion Building The Stage For Economy To Sing The Opera” 4
Theoretical Framework 16
Plan Of Inquiry 24
Chapter Outline 27
Part I Infrastructure Of Religious Governance 30
2 Dual Orthodoxy And The Political Expediency Of Religious Toleration In China: A Historical Perspective 31
Chinese Religiosities And The Dual Orthodoxy 32
Religion And The Secularist Agitation Of The Republican Era 40
Religion As Part Of The United Front Work Under Communist Rule 48
Document No. 19 And The Selectivity Of Religious Toleration 65
Conclusion 79
3 State Regulation Of Religion And The Paradoxes Of Religious Control 81
The Institutional Triangle: The Party-State And The Patriotic Organization 81
Document 6: The 1989 Turn Of Religious Governance 86
Religious Regulation And Its Paradoxes 89
Conclusion 113
Part II The Political Economy Of Temple Enclosure 115
4 The Deliberate Ambiguity Of Temple Ownership 116
The Secular Formation Of Religious Property 118
The Prc Period: The Political Expediency Of Religious Property 125
Finders, Keepers—Bureaucratic Jockeying Over Temple Property 135
Conclusion 145
5 Temple Economy And Modalities Of Enclosure 147
Direct Temple Income Sources 150
Beyond Temples: Rents And Tax Revenues 157
The “High-Powered” Cadre Responsibility System And Imbalanced Fiscal Structure 159
Modalities Of Enclosure 167
Conclusion 179
6 Free Up Or Lose Out: Negotiating Open Access Temple 180
The Religious Reasoning Of Open Temple Access 180
Open Temple And Merit Economy 185
Voice And Temple Property 189
Varieties Of Temple Autonomy 198
The Politics Of Open Access: A Tale Of Two Temples 207
Conclusion 214
Chapter 7 Conclusion 216
Argument In Brief 219
Applying Theoretical Framework To Other Religious Traditions 224
Future Of Religious Development In China 228
Bibliography 230
Appendices 241
Locations Of Temples Surveyed 241
Document No. 19 242
Regulations On Religious Affairs 254
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| DOI | https://doi.org/10.7916/D8SN097K |
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| Hits | 689 |
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| Created date | 2021.12.13 |
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