The Formation of Regional Religious Systems (RRS) in Greater China conference aims to provide a new perspective to the “old question” of regionalism and localism in Chinese history, thus initiating a renewed research program of historical GIS and spatial analysis for achieving a more complete consideration of the role of religion in terms of regional formation. The conference theme of RRS is a new concept which reveals a high level of correlation between religious sites and their natural, social, and cultural environs. The proposed conference will investigate intensively how RRS is possible in Greater China in the past and present by considering the complexity of Chinese religions, Chinese culture, society, and economy. The central research question is how RRS interacts with other regional formations of economic, cultural, and social existences and contributes to the emergence of the unique “Chinese regionalism” which has shaped Chinese history and continues to influence her future in today’s interconnected global settings.
This conference is free and open to the public and sponsored by the College of Humanities and the Department of East Asian Studies. It is also funded by the Chiang Chingkuo Foundation & Su Wukang East Asian Research Fund.
For more information and to register online, please visit: rrs.arizona.edu