ABOUT THIS BOOK

A sweeping examination of how the religious landscape has changed in post-Mao China.

In Religious Change in Post-Mao China, sociologist Yanfei Sun examines the transformation of major religions and the broader religious ecology in China in the wake of the death of Mao Zedong. Drawing on two decades of research that integrates ethnographic, historical, and comparative methods, this book explores the remarkable rise of Protestantism, the challenges faced by Catholicism, the revival of Chinese popular religion, the complex dynamics of Chinese Buddhism, and the unrealized potential of new religious movements. Why do some religions thrive and others struggle in post-Mao China? Sun describes both the internal institutional factors that allow some religions to flourish and the wider sociopolitical context that supports or discourages religious expansion. She thereby introduces an ambitious theoretical framework—one whose applicability extends beyond China, offering a template for analyzing religious dynamics in other parts of the world.

A must-read for scholars of religious studies, sociology, and China studies, Religious Change in Post-Mao China not only provides critical insights into China’s evolving religious landscape but also offers a powerful lens for examining the forces behind religious change, both past and present.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Yanfei Sun is associate professor of sociology at Zhejiang University.

REVIEWS

"This is an extraordinary book, indeed an instant classic based on years of fieldwork: it unravels key puzzles in China’s religious ecology -- the success of protestantism compared to the lackluster performance of Roman Catholicism, the limits of the revival of traditional cults compared to the power of new religious movements, and much more--by setting the institutional features of different religions within the frame of the social and political contexts within which they operate. Sun's claim to have offered a new sociology of religion is wholly justified."

— John A. Hall, Emeritus James McGill Professor of Sociology, McGill University

"Quite frankly, this is the best book on the sociology of religion in China to have ever been published. It marks the coming of age of the field: after two decades of research and discussions by scholars, for the first time a theory has been built that is fully adapted to the Chinese reality and fits historical and contemporary cases as well as all different types of religion, and explains all the puzzles. Not only that, it is a universally valid contribution to the sociology of religion in general, which will generate many fruits in application to all parts of the world."

— David A. Palmer, The University of Hong Kong

"Yanfei Sun has given us a brilliant account of the transformation of the entire Chinese religious landscape after Mao. Within one coherent sociological framework, she examines both the institutional structure of Chinese religions and the changing socio-political environment in which they operate. This impressive book has all the makings of a modern sociological classic. For anyone who wants to understand Chinese society today this is required reading."

— Peter van der Veer, author of 'The Modern Spirit of Asia: The Spiritual and the Secular in China and India'

"Based on over ten years of research, including some of the best ethnographic fieldwork I have seen done in China, this book takes a comprehensive view of the whole range of contemporary Chinese practices. It is a magnum opus, a landmark study that will be a foundation for the study of Chinese religions and the sociology of religion in general for generations to come. Since its theoretical approach brings the study of religion squarely into the center of modern sociology, it has wide relevance outside of the sociology of religion."

— Richard Madsen, Distinguished Professor of Sociology Emeritus, University of California, San Diego

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