The historical roots and character of secularism in China PRASENJIT DUAR A

Wang Gungwu has made a very important observation and claim about Chinese religion. ‘[U]nlike the West which had to deal with a powerful Church for centuries, the Chinese had begun with a secular outlook that ensured that no Church could be established to challenge political authority.’1 In light of Wang’s statement, in this chapter, I want to explore the roots and implications of secularism for our understanding of Chinese state and society as an exercise in comparative historical sociology.