Religionsdebatten und Machtkonflikte
The present paper's aim is to put our understanding of the religious situation in medieval China in a broader context. It stresses the interrelationship between religious debates and political and social interests and connects these with the changing role of the imperial court as political cent...
| Published in: | Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft |
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| Authors: | ; |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | German |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Diagonal-Verlag
2012
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| In: |
Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft
|
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | The present paper's aim is to put our understanding of the religious situation in medieval China in a broader context. It stresses the interrelationship between religious debates and political and social interests and connects these with the changing role of the imperial court as political center. Medieval China should therefore not be regarded as more religious-minded than earlier or later periods of Chinese history; the peculiar manifestation of religion during this period, however, rather hints at processes of political reorganisation and social change. Under this perspective the religious debates can be understood as phenomena representing the shift from an oligarchic or aristocratic to a bureaucratic society, from a multi-centered to a centralized polity. The prevailing tendency to regard the period of political division in early medieval China as a neglectable era between the dynasties of an unified China is tantamount to the failure to appreciate the historical changes which took place during this period. The first part of the paper focusses on intellectual and institutional preconditions set until the Han period (1.), followed by some views on religious mass mobilization (2.). Then (3.) conflicts and debates dealing with religious questions and topics are discussed as representational for conflicting interests. In this context changes in the mode to settle these conflicts are interpreted as reflecting shifts in the distribution of political power. The last part (4.) contains a list of selected religious debates. |
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| ISSN: | 2194-508X |
| Contains: | In: Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1515/0019.50 |