In this Book
- Unruly Gods: Divinity and Society in China
- Book
- 1996
- Published by: University of Hawai'i Press
summary
The first study in English to offer a systematic introduction to the Chinese pantheon of divinities. It challenges received wisdom about Chinese popular religion, which, until now, presented all Chinese deities as mere functionaries and bureaucrats. The essays in this volume eloquently document the existence of other metaphors that allowed Chinese gods to challenge the traditional power structures and traditional mores of Chinese society. The authors draw on a variety of disciplines and methodologies to throw light on various aspects of the Chinese supernatural. The gallery of gods and goddesses surveyed demonstrates that these deities did not reflect China's socio-political order but rather expressed and negotiated tensions within it. In addition to reflecting the existing order, Chinese gods shaped it, transformed it, and compensated for it, and, as such, their work offers fresh perspectives on the relations between divinity and society in China.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Acknowledgments
- p. vii
- 5. Myths, Gods, and Family Relations
- pp. 150-183
- Contributors
- pp. 289-290
Additional Information
ISBN
9780824865429
Related ISBN(s)
9780824817244
MARC Record
OCLC
45733689
Launched on MUSE
2012-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No