Des temples et des quartiers disparus en Chine

Recent changes undergone by several (Quanzhen) Daoist temples in Central China, caused by a major-works policy, take on a special meaning if considered in light of the aftermath of the profound break that had already marked the religious landscape during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Placing...

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Main Author: Adeline Herrou
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: Laboratoire d'Ethnologie et de Sociologie Comparative 2023-06-01
Series:Ateliers d'Anthropologie
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/ateliers/17451
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author Adeline Herrou
author_facet Adeline Herrou
author_sort Adeline Herrou
collection DOAJ
description Recent changes undergone by several (Quanzhen) Daoist temples in Central China, caused by a major-works policy, take on a special meaning if considered in light of the aftermath of the profound break that had already marked the religious landscape during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Placing the two highly contrasting periods in perspective has led me to the troubling observation that after the disappearance of the temples and the efforts made to resurrect them, nearby districts have often ended up destroyed. Neighbouring communities that uphold the memory of the temples and bring them alive find themselves being dismantled. This article takes as its anthropological subjects these destructions of villages or urban districts, and the upheavals they cause in the life of the society. It is based on long-term ethnographic fieldwork, whose heuristic value will be shown in order to understand not only the meaning that is locally attributed to these tabula rasa phenomena, but also how everyone’s zero point of observation (including that of the ethnologist) determines their perception of the event. Finally, it shows that the principle of “the offering in return for the granted wish” establishes a direct relationship between donations—used to periodically embellish and enlarge the temples—and the ritual effectiveness ascribed to those holy places.
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spelling doaj-art-87e36d5fb33a49b8b7d2e4a024a12a0e2025-01-30T13:42:50ZfraLaboratoire d'Ethnologie et de Sociologie ComparativeAteliers d'Anthropologie2117-38692023-06-015310.4000/ateliers.17451Des temples et des quartiers disparus en ChineAdeline HerrouRecent changes undergone by several (Quanzhen) Daoist temples in Central China, caused by a major-works policy, take on a special meaning if considered in light of the aftermath of the profound break that had already marked the religious landscape during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Placing the two highly contrasting periods in perspective has led me to the troubling observation that after the disappearance of the temples and the efforts made to resurrect them, nearby districts have often ended up destroyed. Neighbouring communities that uphold the memory of the temples and bring them alive find themselves being dismantled. This article takes as its anthropological subjects these destructions of villages or urban districts, and the upheavals they cause in the life of the society. It is based on long-term ethnographic fieldwork, whose heuristic value will be shown in order to understand not only the meaning that is locally attributed to these tabula rasa phenomena, but also how everyone’s zero point of observation (including that of the ethnologist) determines their perception of the event. Finally, it shows that the principle of “the offering in return for the granted wish” establishes a direct relationship between donations—used to periodically embellish and enlarge the temples—and the ritual effectiveness ascribed to those holy places.https://journals.openedition.org/ateliers/17451ChinatempleDaoismtabula rasalong-term fieldwork
spellingShingle Adeline Herrou
Des temples et des quartiers disparus en Chine
Ateliers d'Anthropologie
China
temple
Daoism
tabula rasa
long-term fieldwork
title Des temples et des quartiers disparus en Chine
title_full Des temples et des quartiers disparus en Chine
title_fullStr Des temples et des quartiers disparus en Chine
title_full_unstemmed Des temples et des quartiers disparus en Chine
title_short Des temples et des quartiers disparus en Chine
title_sort des temples et des quartiers disparus en chine
topic China
temple
Daoism
tabula rasa
long-term fieldwork
url https://journals.openedition.org/ateliers/17451
work_keys_str_mv AT adelineherrou destemplesetdesquartiersdisparusenchine