The Co-Evolution of Religion and the State in China

Juan Wang, McGill University

Scholars have noted that the state-religion relations may be shaped by a regime’s ideology, economic implications of religious activities, mobilizing potential of religious teaching, and the internal structure or coherence of religious organizations. How do these factors interact with each other? Studying the reconstruction of state-religion relationship after major shocks helps evaluate the dynamic relationship between these factors. The rebuilding of religion in China following the Cultural Revolution (1967-1977) when religion was officially abolished constitutes a rare case to examine the interplay of various factors in the formation of state-religion relations. of state-religion relations. In this study, we trace the revival of Chinese Daoism after the Cultural Revolution and demonstrate a co-evolution process of the state and religion. More specifically, religious competition for legitimacy and limited resources turned certain religious elites to the state authority for their advantage. In turn, the reforming state harnessed pro-state religious activities advocated by these religious elites to better regulate religion. This interactive process shaped the development of religious organizations as well as the state’s capacity to contain potential challenges from religion. This research is built on two types of data. To trace the organizational development and state-religion interactions for the first ten years of Daoism revival, we systematically study Chinese Daoism (1981-1990), the official journal of the national Daoist association, which covers annual meeting reports of the association and self-reported case studies. To further demonstrate the continuous co-evolution process of the state and religion, we rely on field observation and interview data between 2013 and 2017. Ultimately, this study contends that a relational and interactive approach to the study of state and religion can help reveal the dynamics, change, and stability of state-religion relations.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 79. Social and Political Contexts of Religious Change