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Chinese Religions in Contemporary Societies

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Since the end of World War II, the Communist Party in China has actively repressed the practice of religion whether the practitioners were Buddhists, Taoist, Confucianists, Christians, or local spirit or ancestor religions. But all these religious groups who were driven underground kept up their faith and rituals, plus a diverse number of new religious groups emerged as well. Chinese Religions In Contemporary Societies by James Miller (Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada) has brought together in a single work an in-depth survey of the forces that have shaped Chinese religious practices, along with the prevalence, adaptations, and transformations of these practices in North American communities from Confucianism to Falun Gong. Also covered are such practices as self-mortification, exorcism, spirit-writing, healing, counseling, changing fate, and self-cultivation. A core addition to academic library History of Religion reference collections, Chinese Religions In Contemporary Societies also traces the adoption of Chinese religious practices by Euro-Americans and is an invaluable resource for students of Chinese history and comparative religions, as well as non-specialist general readers with an interest in contemporary Chinese culture and social issues.