Unruly Gods: Divinity and Society in China

The first study in English to offer a systematic introduction to the Chinese pantheon of divinities. It challenges received wisdom about Chinese popular religion, which, until now, presented all Chinese deities as mere functionaries and bureaucrats. The essays in this volume eloquently document the...

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Bibliographic Details
Contributors: Shahar, Meir (Other) ; Weller, Robert P. 1953- (Other)
Format: Electronic Book
Language:English
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Published: Honolulu University of Hawaii Press 1996
In:Year: 1996
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B China / Religion
Further subjects:B RELIGION / Eastern
B Gods, Chinese
B Conference program 1992 (Honolulu, Hawaii)
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Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
Description
Summary:The first study in English to offer a systematic introduction to the Chinese pantheon of divinities. It challenges received wisdom about Chinese popular religion, which, until now, presented all Chinese deities as mere functionaries and bureaucrats. The essays in this volume eloquently document the existence of other metaphors that allowed Chinese gods to challenge the traditional power structures and traditional mores of Chinese society. The authors draw on a variety of disciplines and methodologies to throw light on various aspects of the Chinese supernatural. The gallery of gods and goddesses surveyed demonstrates that these deities did not reflect China's socio-political order but rather expressed and negotiated tensions within it. In addition to reflecting the existing order, Chinese gods shaped it, transformed it, and compensated for it, and, as such, their work offers fresh perspectives on the relations between divinity and society in China.
Format:Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
ISBN:0824865421
Access:Restricted Access
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.21313/9780824865429