Chungrong Zhao; Dr. Qiaoyun Zhang; Jingyu Mao
Chungrong Zhao
Utrecht University, Year 1 Research Master student in Religious Studies
Transcultural Religious Phenomena in Qiaohou Town in China:
A Reflection and a Critique of Modern Multiculturalism
Supported by my ethnographical findings in Qiaohou Town—a town inhabited by indigenous minority Bai People in southwest China, this paper aims to analyse the structure and the mechanism of local transcultural religious phenomena, reflecting and criticising the cultural configuration of modern multiculturalism which is currently prevalent and popular in the contemporary Western social and political contexts. Firstly, I introduce the geographical, historical, and economic contexts of religious diversity in Qiaohou Town. Secondly, in order to elaborate how different religious elements which are originated from highly diverse religions, beliefs, or practices—like Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and folk beliefs (e.g. indigenous patron worship, spirit worship, ancestor worship, and fire God worship)—are integrated together into locals’ religious practice in an inclusive way which is thought not contradictory by the locals, I summarize three aspects of this way—representation apposition, concept appropriation, and practice appropriation, to analyse the transcultural structure and mechanism behind these phenomena. Then, I compare this social-cultural pattern with the contemporary Western social configuration of multiculturalism, arguing that the ‘mosaic’ structure of modern multiculturality still presupposes that different cultures are exclusive and independent spheres or islands, embracing the clear boundaries between different cultures. In contrast, the ‘watercolour’ structure of transculturality reflected by the transcultural religious phenomena in Qiaohou Town could inspire us to competently deal with the growing diversity in modern society and provide other regions in the world with enlightenment and reference significance.
Dr. Qiaoyun Zhang
International Institute for Asian Studies, Research Fellow
“Cultural Reconstruction” in the Ethnic Qiang Villages after the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake
This article discusses the lessons learned from the reconstruction of the ethnic minority Qiang villages after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, providing reflections on how the mechanism of “cultural recovery” can be properly established and transformed. The Qiang are an officially-recognized ethnic minority group long suffered from political, economic, and cultural marginality before the disaster. As the majority of the Qiang lived in Sichuan where the epicenter was located, they were severely affected. The Chinese government led swift, massive, and comprehensive disaster relief and recovery efforts, creating spectacular and officially-celebrated “miraculous reconstruction” projects throughout the affected areas. Many Qiang villages not only swiftly recovered materially, but were made into heritage tourist destinations with state planning to “restore and develop” their culture. Longxi Township of Wenchuan County was one of the best models of such reconstruction. The article problematizes the Chinese state planning of “cultural reconstruction” through investigating the related projects and interviewing the state representatives involved. It also contracts the state planning with the cultural change and identity transformation in the reconstructed villages, analyzing the discourse and practice of being a “grateful” and “newborn” ethnic Qiang in the disaster zones. Finally, this paper provides reflections on the relationship among disaster, culture, and state-ethnic interaction in contemporary China.
Jingyu Mao
The University of Edinburgh, Year 3 PhD candidate in Sociology
Paper title: Ethnic boundaries, performance work, and minority migrants’ practices of friendship within and beyond the workplace
Abstract: Ethnic minority migrant’s experiences are largely under-explored among the extensive research about rural-urban migration in China. Also, migrations’ work and personal life are usually discussed as two separate areas of enquiry. This research seeks to bridge these gaps by focusing on the intersection of work and personal life of ethnic minority migrants in Southwest China.
The focus of this research was put on a group of minority performers, who perform ethnic songs and dances at different venues, such as restaurants and sightseeing points. Based on six months’ of participant observation in 2016 and 2017, along with 60 in-depth interviews with minority migrants in Green City (pseudonym), this paper seeks to explore the ways that ethnic boundaries shape minority performers’ practices of friendship in the context of migration.
“Nominal ethnic minorities” was used to refer to people who have little recognition of their own ethnic cultures, but are minorities according to official designations. On one hand, for “authentic” minority migrants, ethnic boundary makings are still crucial in their practices of friendships. They enjoy being able to practice ethnicity in friendships. However, such solidarity based on ethnicity often means exclusions. On the other hand, for “nominal ethnic minorities”, a diminishing sense of ethnic belongings runs contradictory to the work requirement of performances, which emphasise differences and state-imposed ethnic identifications. This brings further marginalisation in both personal and public terrains.