The Anthropology of Religion, Charisma, and Ghosts

Download or read book The Anthropology of Religion, Charisma, and Ghosts written by Stephan Feuchtwang and published by Walter de Gruyter. This book was released on 2010 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: China has many religions. But rituals of local temples are none of these. They celebrate many gods and their powers to respond. Gods are invited as welcome guests by appropriate rituals of welcome and communication. Other rituals pacify ghosts and harmful powers. These rituals are rich with their own poetry, a poetry of performance, not just of contemplation. Interpreting this poetry demands revision of theories of ritual and religion. The author has spent over four decades studying Chinese ritual and religion through observation in contemporary China and Taiwan, constantly revising and rethinking theories of religion, ritual and their role in different political regimes.