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Loading... The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao (edition 2017)by Ian Johnson (Author)
Work InformationThe Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao by Ian Johnson
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Reads like the work of a pulitzer-winning journalist; this is not praise. There's a kind of middle-brow literariness to the book (the structure is rigid but cute; anecdote is multiplied to the near exclusion of analysis or explanation; everything is shown, and not told; it's as earnest as anything I've ever read). In short, it reminds me of a mid-century American novel, except one that is actually worth reading, because you will glean some information, at least. Johnson doesn't exactly do his authority any favors by claiming that, e.g., Calvinist = Reformed = Puritan; I honestly have no idea how much to trust his claims about 'religions' in China given that he's so willing to simplify the religions that are so much easier to understand for an American. ( ) no reviews | add a review
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From the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist: a revelatory portrait of religion in China today its history, the spiritual traditions of its Eastern and Western faiths, and the ways in which it is influencing China s future. Following a century of violent antireligious campaigns, China is now awash with new temples, churches, and mosques as well as cults, sects, and politicians trying to harness religion for their own ends. Driving this explosion of faith is uncertainty over what it means to be Chinese, and how to live an ethical life in a country that discarded traditional morality a century ago and is still searching for new guideposts. Ian Johnson lived for extended periods with underground church members, rural Daoists, and Buddhist pilgrims. He has distilled these experiences into a cycle of festivals, births, deaths, detentions, and struggle a great awakening of faith that is shaping the soul of the world s newest superpower. (With black-and-white illustrations throughout). No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)200.951Religions Religion Religion History, geographic treatment, biography Asia China & KoreaLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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