Syncretism, Domestication and Contention: Introduction to Chinese Religions

Instead of presupposing religions as neatly defined and self-contained wholes, this course examines the religions of China in a variety of historical and cultural relationships. Along with the study of "Three Teachings" (Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism), it will introduce Chinese cosmology, the veneration of ancestors, religious festivals, the view of the afterlife and sacred mountains. We will also question readily used scholarly categories of Chinese religions such as elite vs. popular religions, monastic vs. lay practices, "sinified" vs. "pure" Buddhism and Daoist philosophy vs. Daoist religion.