ABSTRACT
The rise of Spatial Humanities has spurred a digital revolution in the field of Chinese studies, especially in the study of religion. Based on years of data compilation and analysis of religious sites, this book explores the formation of Regional Religious Systems (RRS) in Greater China in unprecedented scope and depth. It addresses quantitatively the enduring historical and contemporary issues of China’s deep-rooted regionalism and spatially variegated cultural and religious landscape.
A range of topics are explored: theoretical discussions of the concept of RRS; case studies of regional and local religious institutions; the formation of local cults and pilgrimage network; and the spread of religious networks to overseas Chinese communities and the Bon religion in Tibet. The book also considers long-standing challenges of researching with spatial data for humanities and social science research, such as data collection, integration, spatial analysis, and map creation.
This book will be of interest to students and scholars in Religious Studies, Cultural Studies, Chinese Studies, Digital Humanities, Human Geography and Sociology.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
chapter |31 pages
Introduction Exploring Regional Religious Systems (RRS)
part I|38 pages
RRS and the Spread of Religious Sites in Medieval China
chapter 1|23 pages
Making and Marking Buddhist Sacred Space
chapter 2|13 pages
On the Spatio-temporal Analysis of Religious Institutions
part II|62 pages
RRS and the Buddhist Pilgrimage Network in Late Imperial China
chapter 4|20 pages
The Ways of Traveling
part III|41 pages
Regional Analysis of Modern and Contemporary Chinese Religions
chapter 7|12 pages
Churches at the Margin
part IV|61 pages
Regional Formation in Periphery