Religion and the State in Russia and China: Suppression, Survival, and Revival [Paperback]

Christopher Marsh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2011 | ISBN-10: 1441112472 | ISBN-13: 978-1441112477

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Lucidly and engagingly written, Christopher Marsh's book is a landmark contribution to the growing literature on secularization and desecularization in the modern world. Previous studies have typically focused on a single country or religious movement, while there has been precious little comparative, cross-national and cross-civilizational research. Yet, without comparative research, it is impossible to theorize desecularization and detect its broad, cross-national meaning, patterns, causes, and consequences. Dr. Marsh's book fills in this gap. It detects and theorizes the patterns of religions' suppression, resilience and resurgence by comparatively exploring the cases of Russia and China. These are, without an exaggeration, the two most important and massive cases of forced secularization and subsequent religious resurgence in the 20th -- early 21st century. The book marshals impressive empirical evidence, ranging from documentary sources to representative national surveys. An outstanding expert on Russia as well as China, Christopher Marsh aptly utilizes his thorough knowledge of the two cases and his fluency in both languages to present to his readers a convincing, empirically grounded yet theoretically consequential account of the stunning resilience of faith under the ruthlessly oppressive atheist regimes, and of its ongoing spectacular revival. -Peter Berger, Professor Emeritus of Religion, Sociology and Theology. Director, Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs, Boston University.

This is a masterful work, by a scholar with the rare ability to handle sources in both Russian and Chinese, that sheds much light on theoretical debates surrounding religion and modernity, secularization, and desecularization. But it is much more than that; It is also an inspiring story of human resilience in the face of oppression. -- Peter L. Berger, University Professor Emeritus, Boston University



Lucidly and engagingly written, Christopher Marsh’s book is a landmark contribution to the growing literature on secularization and desecularization in the modern world. Previous studies have typically focused on a single country or religious movement, while there has been precious little comparative, cross-national and cross-civilizational research. Yet, without comparative research, it is impossible to theorize desecularization and detect its broad, cross-national meaning, patterns, causes, and consequences. Dr. Marsh’s book fills in this gap. It detects and theorizes the patterns of religions’ suppression, resilience and resurgence by comparatively exploring the cases of Russia and China. These are, without an exaggeration, the two most important and massive cases of forced secularization and subsequent religious resurgence in the 20th – early 21st century. The book marshals impressive empirical evidence, ranging from documentary sources to representative national surveys. An outstanding expert on Russia as well as China, Christopher Marsh aptly utilizes his thorough knowledge of the two cases and his fluency in both languages to present to his readers a convincing, empirically grounded yet theoretically consequential account of the stunning resilience of faith under the ruthlessly oppressive atheist regimes, and of its ongoing spectacular revival. -Peter Berger, Professor Emeritus of Religion, Sociology and Theology. Director, Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs, Boston University. 

About the Author

Christopher Marsh is Professor of Political Science and Director of the J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies at Baylor University. The author of several books, including Unparalleled Reforms: China's Rise, Russia's Fall, and the Interdependence of Transition (Lexington Books, 2005), he also serves as editor of the Journal of Church &State (Oxford UP). Dr. Marsh speaks Russian and Chinese and has conducted field research across Eurasia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (January 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1441112472
• ISBN-13: 978-1441112477
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,867,456 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Christopher Marsh (né Surosky) serves as director of the J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies, as well as director of the Keston Center for Religion, Politics, & Society at Baylor University. Dr. Marsh is also Professor of Political Science and Church-State Studies at Baylor and teaches in the area of religion, politics, and society, with a geographical focus on Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and East Asia. His research and teaching interests range from religion and violence to church-state relations and religious freedom in communist and post-communist societies. Professor Marsh speaks Russian and Chinese and has conducted field research across Eurasia, from the Gulf of Finland to the Russian Far East and to foothills of the Himalayas.

In addition to authoring and editing numerous books, Dr. Marsh serves as editor of the Journal of Church & State, as co-editor of Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization, and sits on the board of several other journals, including Religion, State, & Society. He also works closely with the Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs at Boston University and the Institute for Buddhism and Religious Studies at Renmin University of China, where he is a research professor.