“On the whole, it indeed provides a thorough, informative account of religious thought and practice throughout Chinese dynastic history.” (Religious Studies Review, 7 December 2015)
“While different conceptualizations of the “critical terms” are certainly possible, this is a substantive volume that should benefit many readers.” (Religious Studies Review, 7 March 2013)
“Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers.” (Choice, 1 November 2012)
“This book is what teachers and students of Chinese religions have been waiting for. Divided into three parts: historical survey, the traditions and critical terms for the study of Chinese religions, it represents a most comprehensive and at the same time cutting edge scholarship on this subject. Whether one uses it as the primary textbook or together with an anthology of primary sources, this volume will prove to be an indispensable companion”.
—Chün-fang Yü, Columbia University
“The finest ‘companions’ to a particular field of scholarship come along at those transitional moments in academic history when younger scholars are taking over from previous generations and in so doing they both take the best from the past and move forward in creative new ways. I am happy to report that Randall Nadeau’s edited volume on Chinese religions is very much an exceptional example of this principle. This is a work – and indeed a very knowledgeable, methodologically pioneering, and even friendly companion – that provides crucial guidance for understanding China’s religious past and present.”
— Norman Girardot, Lehigh University
From the Inside Flap
The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Chinese Religions comprises the most up-to-date, interdisciplinary research on the study of Chinese religious beliefs and cultural practices. Featuring newly-commissioned work from a team of acclaimed experts in Chinese history, society, and religion, the companion offers readers the latest research in this rapidly growing discipline.
The volume provides a historical overview of Chinese forms of worship, with individual chapters focusing on Shang-Zhou religion, religion in the Han and Medieval periods, Sui-Tang religion, Song religion, and religion in late imperial China. It also addresses the main Chinese religious traditions of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, as well as readings on Christianity and Islam. In addition, a range of contemporary religious topics are discussed, including gods and spirits, ritual, text, nature, gender, asceticism, violence, divination, material culture, and lineage. Combining scholarly rigor with stylistic clarity, The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Chinese Religions brings into sharp focus the rich and complex interactions of religious and philosophical traditions that developed and flourished in one of the world’s oldest civilizations.
From the Back Cover
The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Chinese Religions comprises the most up-to-date, interdisciplinary research on the study of Chinese religious beliefs and cultural practices. Featuring newly-commissioned work from a team of acclaimed experts in Chinese history, society, and religion, the companion offers readers the latest research in this rapidly growing discipline.
The volume provides a historical overview of Chinese forms of worship, with individual chapters focusing on Shang-Zhou religion, religion in the Han and Medieval periods, Sui-Tang religion, Song religion, and religion in late imperial China. It also addresses the main Chinese religious traditions of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, as well as readings on Christianity and Islam. In addition, a range of contemporary religious topics are discussed, including gods and spirits, ritual, text, nature, gender, asceticism, violence, divination, material culture, and lineage. Combining scholarly rigor with stylistic clarity, The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Chinese Religions brings into sharp focus the rich and complex interactions of religious and philosophical traditions that developed and flourished in one of the world’s oldest civilizations.
About the Author
Randall L. Nadeau is Chair of the Department of Religion and Professor of East Asian Religions at Trinity University, Texas. He has published widely on such topics as popular religious literature, deity cults, and folk religion in both China and Japan, as well as methodology in the study of religion, especially Buddhism and popular religious movements.
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