The sinicization of buddhism and its competing reinventions of tradition

Abstract

Drawing my arguments based on field data collected in Shanghai between 2014 and 2018,I interpret the political campaign of Sinicization as an act of modern traditionalism, which was a politicized kind of culture revitalization. Two findings in this research: First, modern traditionalism is engineered by the Chinese state to sustain the legitimacy of its political control. The “Sinicization of religion” is part of a micro-campaign of modern traditionalism, revitalizing the Chinese tradition as the core value of modern society and nationalist identity while China encounters domestic ethnic conflicts and global competition. The second finding is that Sinicization and its practices have become internalized among Buddhist leaders, while Buddhist communities at the same time face the challenges of putting traditions to the test.