RT Article
T1 Contesting Chineseness: An Examination of Religion and National Identity in Mainland China
JF Journal for the scientific study of religion
VO 57
IS 2
SP 318
OP 340
A1 Lu, Jun
A2 Gao, Qin 1977-
LA English
YR 2018
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1669597970
AB For citizens of many countries around the world, religion is a necessary-though often contested-component of their national identity. From the vantage point of the symbolic boundaries approach, we argue that the Chinese government and various other social actors are in contestation to define "Chineseness" in religious terms. Using data from the 2007 Spiritual Life Study of Chinese Residents, this study explores the extent to which religion functions as a constitutive part of Chinese national identity. We find that the effectiveness of the Chinese government's demarcation of the symbolic boundaries around Chineseness related to religion varies across religious groups. Believers of each religion are likely to be strong advocates for their own religion's connection to Chinese national identity. Among the religions, traditional Chinese religions tend to demonstrate a stronger affinity with one another than with Christianity. Daoists are a particularly strong contestant in aligning Daoism with Chineseness, to the extent that they discredit the other religions' suitability for the Chinese. We discuss the implications of these findings and point out directions for future research.
K1 China
K1 Chineseness
K1 National Identity
K1 Religion
K1 symbolic boundaries
DO 10.1111/jssr.12519