Ancestor Worship in the Diaspora Chinese and China Universes

The Making of a Collaborative Cultural Basin
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-032-57844-6
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd (Sales)

Buch, Englisch, 256 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 367 g

Reihe: Routledge Contemporary China Series

Kuah explores the centrality of ancestors and ancestor worship of the Chinese in the Diaspora Chinese and China universes. Building on the original work and book on “Rebuilding the Ancestral Village: Singaporeans in China”, this book goes beyond the premise of remaking the ancestral home.

Ancestor worship and the ancestors, together with selected cultural practices, constitute an important aspect of the broad Chinese culture shared by these two groups of Chinese and leads to the making of a collaborative cultural basin. This book takes the audience on an ancestor worship journey to uncover the complexity of ancestors and ancestral souls crossing transnational spaces, their choices of ancestral soul homes, the significance of the lineage ancestral house and the engagement of women through food offering contesting patriarchy. It also explores the increasing role of the Mainland Chinese state in appropriating ancestor and ancestor worship as a cultural icon and during the Qingming festival as a socio-moral capital and cultural bridge to foster closer ties with the Diaspora Chinese in its attempt to bring them into its “Chinese civilizational polity”. The book also takes the audience on a photographic journey to visually experience the various rituals and the vibrancy of the ritual performances conducted during the different stage from pre-communal to communal ancestor worship.

An essential read for scholars of Chinese society and religion, Chinese migration and diaspora studies.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate and Undergraduate Advanced

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kuah, Khun Eng

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Internationale Beziehungen Diplomatie
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Volkskunde Historische & Regionale Volkskunde

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

Figures

Photos Captions

Chapter 1: Introduction: Ancestor Worship in the Diaspora and Mainland Chinese Universes

Chapter 2: Why Ancestors Matter?

Chapter 3: Ancestors across Transnational Spaces: From Luodi Shenggen to Yeluo Guigen

Chapter 4: Ancestor’s Soul Homes

Chapter 5: Lineage Ancestral House and Its Symbolism

Chapter 6: Chinese Women and Ancestral Food Offerings

Chapter 7: Ritual Performance of Ancestor Worship: A Photographic Journey

Chapter 8: Ancestors’ Worth in Contemporary China: Economic Capital and Cultural Heritage

Chapter 9: Qingming Festival as a National Cultural Icon: The Reach of the Mainland Chinese State

Chapter 10: Conclusion: Future of Ancestor Worship and the Making of a Collaborative Cultural Basin

Glossary

Index

Bibliography

Über Autor(innen)

Khun Eng Kuah is Distinguished Professor of Anthropology and Chinese Diaspora Studies at the School of International Studies and Academy of Overseas Chinese Studies in Jinan University (Guangzhou, China) and Adjunct Professor at the Department of Chinese Studies in National University of Singapore. Her primary research areas are Diaspora Chinese - China Relations; and Religion, politics and society, Reformist Buddhism and Buddhist compassion in East and Southeast and Asia.