14733
Seminar
Heterodox Religious Groups in China - From Premodern to Modern Times
Christian Meyer
Comments
White Lotus (Bailianjiao), Yiguandao, and Falun Gong are just the best-known groups that we associate with the term “heterodox” or “syncretic” religious groups. In the perception of religious diversity in China, they often take a back seat to the three major traditions of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. Yet each of these groups reflects very specific historical constellations from the Ming dynasty to the present day. Continuity is created by the externally applied category of “sects” or “heterodox cults” (xiejiao), under which these groups have often been subsumed from a religious-political perspective, despite major differences in content. In more recent times, however, the more positive term “salvationist movements” or “redemptive societies” is often used.
In this seminar, we will explore historical as well as religious-political and religious-sociological perspectives. In doing so, we aim not only to contextualize the individual groups and the different reactions of the state and their environment historically, but also to examine them comparatively. close
Suggested reading
Literaturhinweise:
Recommended reading for preparation: Barend ter Haar: The White Lotus Teachings in Chinese Religious History, Leiden: Brill, 1992; Vincent Goossaert; David Palmer: The Religious Question in Modern China, Chicago; London: University of Chicago Press, 2011; Seiwert, Hubert (in collaboration with Ma Xisha), Popular Religious Movements and Heterodox Sects in Chinese History
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16 Class schedule
Regular appointments
Wed, 2025-10-15 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2025-10-22 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2025-10-29 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2025-11-05 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2025-11-12 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2025-11-19 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2025-11-26 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2025-12-03 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2025-12-10 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2025-12-17 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2026-01-07 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2026-01-14 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2026-01-21 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2026-01-28 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2026-02-04 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2026-02-11 16:00 - 18:00