Women, marriage and the state in contemporary China

2010 ◽  
pp. 166-188
Keyword(s):  
The State ◽  
Contemporary China

Old Pastor and Local Bureaucrats: Recasting Church-State Relations in Contemporary China

Modern China ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 564-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jifeng Liu ◽  
Chris White
Keyword(s):  
Church Leaders ◽  
The State ◽  
Local State ◽  
Religious Activities ◽  
Contemporary China ◽  
Church Structure ◽  
Church State Relations ◽  
State Relations ◽  
The Church ◽  
Local Levels

In examining the relationships between a state-recognized Protestant pastor and local bureaucrats, this article argues that church leaders in contemporary China are strategic in enhancing interactions with the local state as a way to produce greater space for religious activities. In contrast to the idea that the Three-Self church structure simply functions as a state-governing apparatus, this study suggests that closer connection to the state can, at times, result in less official oversight. State approval of Three-Self churches offers legitimacy to registered congregations and their leaders, but equally important is that by endorsing such groups, the state is encouraging dialogue, even negotiations between authorities and the church at local levels.

Protest and Religion: Christianity in the People’s Republic of China

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Tao
Keyword(s):  
Communist Party ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
The State ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Contemporary China ◽  
Protestant Church ◽  
Protestant Churches ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Catholic Church

The relationship between religion and protest has been thoroughly discussed in various academic disciplines of social sciences, but there is far from consensus on the topic. Scholars differ significantly in their opinions on how religious values and doctrines shape the mechanisms which link protest and religion, and on how interaction between religious groups, the state, and other secular and religious groups may increase or reduce the likelihood of protests. Contemporary China provides an ideal setting in which to further advance scholarly understanding of roles that religion plays in protest, thanks to its richness, diversity, and complexity of religion, protest, and their relationship. In contemporary China, due to the inherent, profound, and possibly deliberate ambiguities within the state’s legal and regulatory arrangements on religious affairs, the boundaries between government-sanctioned churches and “underground” churches are often blurred. Many Christianity-related protests directly respond to government crackdowns, which are aimed not only at those congregations and groups that are normally considered as “underground,” “unofficial,” or “independent,” but also at churches that have long been tolerated or even officially recognized by the state. Further, while many Christianity-related protests are closely associated with the clash of ideologies in contemporary China, the specific causes of protests differ significantly among Catholic and Protestant churches, and Christian-inspired groups. The ideological incompatibility between the ruling Communist Party and the Catholic Church in China is epitomized by their struggle for authority and influence over the Chinese Catholic community. Until the provisional agreement signed between Beijing and the Vatican in September 2018, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Holy See had been competing fiercely for the authority to approve the ordination of new bishops, with such confrontations triggering numerous protests among Chinese Catholics. Unlike the Catholic Church, many of the Protestant churches that have emerged in the post-Mao era—including most “house” churches that do not affiliate with the state-sanctioned church—have no direct link with the transnational denominations which were active in China before the communist takeover in 1949 and are operated solely by Chinese citizens. However, while many Chinese Protestants display affection toward China and a sense of responsibility for improving their country, some influential Protestant church leaders have turned their progressive theology into social activism since the turn of the 21st century, leading to various forms of protests against the authoritarian policies and politics in contemporary China. Ideological and theological conflicts between different religions or religious schools may also trigger the Chinese state’s suppression of certain religious groups and activities, which often in turn cause protests. In particular, the Communist Party tends to impose extremely harsh repercussions on religious groups that are accused by mainstream Christianity of being “heterodoxies,” like the Shouters and the Disciples. These religious groups are often labelled as “evil cults” and their leaders and members often face legal action or even criminal charges. The protests organized by these religious groups have not only targeted the government but also the mainstream Christian churches that criticize them from a theological point of view. Given the profound ideological and political incompatibility of the CCP and various Christian groups, it is unlikely that Christianity can replicate the close collaborations that Buddhism and Daoism have developed with the CCP since the early 1980s.

Gender and China Studies

1995 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-231
Author(s):  
James Hevia
Keyword(s):  
Review Article ◽  
Harvard University ◽  
The State ◽  
Contemporary China ◽  
China Studies ◽  
China Series

AbstractA Review Article of CHRISTINA K. GILMARTIN, GAIL HERSHATTER, LISA ROFEL, TYRENE WHITE, eds., Engendering China: Women, Culture, and the State. Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University Press [Harvard Contemporary China Series, 10, 1994, £ 18.25/$ 27.50 paperback/£ 39.95/$ 59.95 hardback]

Marriage, Family, and the State in Contemporary China

1984 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margery Wolf
Keyword(s):  
The State ◽  
Contemporary China

Consuming a difficult past unapproved: Chairman Mao as commodity

2020 ◽  
pp. 175069802092774
Author(s):  
Licheng Qian
Keyword(s):  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Memory Studies ◽  
The State ◽  
Contemporary China ◽  
The Past ◽  
Displacement Theory

What role does consumption play in remembering a difficult past unacknowledged by the state? By analyzing the consumption of Chairman Mao symbols in contemporary China, this article explores the memory of a difficult past under censorship with ambiguous rules, that is, imposed discursive ambiguity, and puts forward a theory of mnemonic displacement centering on two generational mechanisms: denial and diversion. The “attendant generation” has experienced the past, reads the discursive ambiguity conservatively and consumes the Mao symbol as denial of the difficult past. The “posterior generation” has no autobiographical memory of the past, reads the discursive ambiguity more openly and consumes the Mao symbol as diversion of mnemonic themes. As a result, the difficult past is displaced and forgotten. This article contributes to memory studies not only by theorizing a type of difficult past under discursive ambiguity but also by developing a displacement theory of remembering and forgetting.

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