China Perspective Issues
Ji Zhe
Ji Zhe is a Post-doctoral Fellow at the Groupe Sociétés, Religions, Laïcités, CNRS, Paris.Social experimentation and “popular Confucianism”
The multiplicity of initiatives in China today that claim to be inspired by “Confucianism” calls for particular attention to the diversity of their practical application. In this case study, we analyse the formation and workings of a new kind of educational institution: initiated three years ago in the town of Tangchi (Anhui) by a Taiwanese Buddhist, but nonetheless strongly influenced by Confucian traditionalism, this “Cultural Education Centre” is inventing, somewhere between political control and moral proselytism, a new form of governmentality that could gain widespread acceptance.
Educating Through Music: From an "Initiation into Classical Music" for Children to Confucian "Self-Cultivation" for University Students
Confucian discourse in contemporary China simultaneously permeates the intertwined fields of politics and education. The current Confucian revival associates the “sacred”, power and knowledge whereas modernity is characterized by a differentiation between institutions and values. The paradoxical situation of Confucianism in modern society constitutes the background of the present article that explores the case of a private company involved in promoting classical Chinese music to children and “self-cultivation” to students. Its original conception of “education through music” paves the way for a new “ethical and aesthetic” teaching method that leaves aside the traditional associations of ethics with politics. By the same token, it opens the possibility for a non-political Confucianism to provide a relevant contribution in the field of education today.
Book Reviews (PDF version)
Sébastien Billioud and Joël Thoraval, Le Sage et le peuple. Le renouveau confucéen en Chine (The Sage and the People: The Confucian Revival in China)
La nouvelle relation Etat-bouddhismeUn nombre grandissant de croyants entraîne une mutation de l'économie monastique en Chine
Buddhism and the State: A New Relationship Increasing numbers of believers bring great changes to the monastic economy in China
André Laliberté, The Politics of Buddhist Organizations in Taiwan 1989-2003. Safeguarding the faith, building a pure land, helping the poor
La constitution d'un clergé laïc par la Société Chan Moderne. Logiques dans le champ moderne du bouddhisme chinois
Créée en 1989 à Taiwan, la Société Chan Moderne est une communauté de bouddhistes laïcs qui remet en question les privilèges religieux des moines et soutient l'idée d'une égalité entre moines et croyants laïcs. Elle s'est donnée une autorité indépendante des monastères pour la gestion des biens de salut et a constitué ainsi son propre clergé. A travers l'histoire de la Société Chan Moderne, cet article analyse certaines logiques à l'uvre dans le champ du bouddhisme chinois : le rôle du prophète dans le jeu du pouvoir symbolique, les conditions de l'émergence d'un prophète, la légitimation d'une réforme religieuse dans la modernité, et le paradoxe de l'institutionnalisation.
The Establishment of a Lay Clergy by the Modern Chan Society The practice of modern Chinese Buddhism
Founded in Taiwan in 1989, the Modern Chan Society was a community of lay Buddhists that challenged monks' religious privileges and put forward the idea of equality between monks and lay believers. It asserted an independent authority from that of the monasteries in managing salvation goods and accordingly recruited its own clergy. In tracing the history of the Modern Chan Society, this article assesses modern Chinese Buddhism: the role of the prophet in symbolic power, the conditions governing the emergence of a prophet, the legitimisation of religious reforms in modern practice and the paradox of institutionalisation.