 |
The Social Scientific Study of Religion in China
|
首页 |
|
暑期班 |
|
研讨会 |
|
普渡讲座 |
|
访问学者 |
|
课题申请 |
|
新闻 |
|
文章 |
|
顾问 |
|
联系我们 |
“China is a country without religion and the Chinese are a people who are not bound by religious superstitions.” -- Hu Shih (1891-1962, philosopher)
“There was not one corner in the vast land of China where one did not find temples, shrines, altars, and other places of worship. . . [which] were a visible indication of the strong and pervasive influence of religion in Chinese society.” -- C. K. Yang (1910-1995, sociologist)
Is China the least religious society in the world? Whereas armchair philosophers like to believe so, scholars in the field find abundance of religion in China. Until recently, however, few social scientists, both inside and outside China, have focused on religion in Chinese society. We strive to advance the social scientific study of religion in China. With grants from the Henry Luce Foundation, the Templeton Foundation, and other sources, we have been organizing Summer Institutes, Symposia, Lectures, and Research Projects. We also offer research grants and fellowships to Chinese scholars for conducting empirical research on religion in China. These programs are intended to foster a new generation of Chinese scholars of religious research equipped with social scientific methods and theories, and to produce scholarly publications about religions in contemporary China.
Symposium celebrates new Center on Religion and Chinese Society
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - An April 23 symposium will celebrate Purdue University's new Center on Religion and Chinese Society, which is housed in the College of Liberal Arts.
The symposium, which is free and open to the public, is 2-5:30 p.m. at the Burton Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship, Room 129.
Keynote speaker Robert Weller, a professor of anthropology at Boston University, will speak at 2:15 p.m. on "Religion and the Public Good in the Chinese World." Weller will discuss findings on the ways that religious institutions are meeting broad social needs in mainland China, Taiwan and among Chinese in Malaysia, says Fenggang Yang, center director and an associate professor of sociology.
Three other presentations will follow the keynote address. They are:
* Qingxiang Guo, professor of philosophy at Renmin University of China, will present "The Revivals of Confucianism in China Today" from 3:45-4:15 p.m.
* Xiaoqun Wu, professor of folklorics at Henan University, will present "Traditional Folk Religion and the Emerging Civil Society in China" from 4:15-4:45 p.m.
* Liping Liang, professor of political science and public administration at Shanxi University, will present "Secularization or Institutionalization? Religious Change amid China's Social Transition" from 4:45-5:15 p.m.
* From 5:15-5:30 p.m., the panelists will field questions.
Purdue's new center focuses on religions in Chinese societies, including mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other Chinese communities, says Yang, who has published numerous books and articles on various religions in China and among Chinese Americans.
"I am not aware of any other centers in North America that are devoted to studying religion in China," Yang says. "But more and more people are taking an interest in this field. There have been sweeping and rapid changes in China, such as industrialization, urbanization and overall democratization, and there is a religious dimension that affects all areas of growth.
"Religious changes in China could have profound impacts on Chinese culture, economy, politics and international relations. So it's important to know about religion in China in order to understand China and its future development. Besides, the Summer Olympics has brought great attention to China, including its religious communities and religious policy."
The 2008 Summer Olympics will take place in Beijing in August.
The Chinese government officially allows only five religions: Buddhism, Daosim, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism, Yang says. All of these religions and many other traditional and new religious groups are increasing rapidly, he says.
In addition to support from the College of Liberal Arts and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, the April 23 symposium and the center are supported by grants from the Henry Luce Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation.
John Contreni, Justin S. Morrill Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and Viktor Gecas, professor and head of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, will provide opening remarks at the beginning of the symposium.
Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
Source: Fenggang Yang, (765) 494-2641, fyang@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
To the News Service home page
Research Grants to Chinese Scholars have been announced
Dr. Yang received the 2006 Distinguished Article Award from the American Sociological Association's Section of the Sociology of Religion. To read the article, click "Red, Black and Gray Markets of Religion in China"
"Three Colorful Markets of Religion in China?" Dr. Yang spoke to the China Nationalities Newspaper. To read the special interview in Chinese published on August 1, 2006, click 中国宗教有3色市场？ or click《中国民族报》to read other interesting articles in the "Religion Weekly" of this newspaper.
The Third Summer Institute and Symposium for the Social Scientific Study of Religion were held at Renmin University, July 2006.
A special issue of the Sociology of Religion: A Quarterly Review: "Conversion to Christianity among the Chinese," published in summer 2006.
About the Sociology of Religion Program Department of Sociology and Anthropology Religious Studies Program