Transcendence And Spirituality In Chinese Cinema

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Transcendence and Spirituality in Chinese Cinema

Author : Kris H.K Chong
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1000095924
Total Pages : 176 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Transcendence and Spirituality in Chinese Cinema by : Kris H.K Chong

Download or read book Transcendence and Spirituality in Chinese Cinema written by Kris H.K Chong and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-05-27 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a framework by which a global audience might think theologically about contemporary films produced in mainland China by Chinese directors. Up to this point the academic discipline of Christian theology and film has focussed predominantly on Western cinema, and as a result, has missed out the potential insights offered by Chinese spirituality on film. Mainland Chinese films, produced within the nation’s social structure, offer an excellent lingua franca of China. Illuminating the spiritual imagination of Chinese filmmakers and their yearning for transcendence, the book uses Richard A. Blake’s concept of afterimage to analyse the potential theological implications of their films. It then brings Jürgen Moltmann’s "immanent-transcendence" and Robert K. Johnston’s "God’s wider Presence" into conversation with Confucianist and Daoist ideas of there being, spirituality-speaking, "More in Life than Meets the Eye" than simply material existence. This all combines to move beyond film and allow for a Western audience to gain a new perspective on Chinese culture and traditions. One that uses familiar Western terms, while avoiding the imposition of a Western mindset. This is a new perspective on cinema, religion and Chinese culture that will be of keen interest to scholars of Religion and Film, Religious Studies, Theology, Sociology of Religion and Chinese Studies.

Transcendence and Spirituality in Japanese Cinema

Author : Melissa Croteau
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000755916
Total Pages : 215 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (7 download)

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Book Synopsis Transcendence and Spirituality in Japanese Cinema by : Melissa Croteau

Download or read book Transcendence and Spirituality in Japanese Cinema written by Melissa Croteau and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2022-11-14 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores significant representations of Shinto and Buddhist sacred space, spiritual symbols, and religious concepts that are embedded in the secular framework of Japanese films aimed at general audiences in Japan and globally. These cinematic masterpieces by directors Akira Kurosawa, Hayao Miyazaki, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Makoto Shinkai operate as expressions of and, potentially, catalysts for transcendence of various kinds, particularly during the Heisei era (1989–2019), when Japan experienced severe economic hardship and devastating natural disasters. The book’s approach to aesthetics and religion employs the multifaceted concepts of ma (structuring intervals, liminal space-time), kū (emptiness, sky), mono no aware (compassionate sensibility, resigned sadness), and musubi (generative interconnection), examining the dynamic, evolving nature of these ancient principles that are at once spiritual, aesthetic, and philosophical. Scholars and enthusiasts of Japanese cinema (live action and anime), religion and film, cinematic aesthetics, and the relationship between East Asian religions and the arts will find fresh perspectives on these in this book, which moves beyond conventional notions of transcendental style and essentialized approaches to the multivalent richness of Japanese aesthetics.

Religion and Film: The Basics

Author : Jeanette Reedy Solano
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429639708
Total Pages : 194 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (296 download)

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Book Synopsis Religion and Film: The Basics by : Jeanette Reedy Solano

Download or read book Religion and Film: The Basics written by Jeanette Reedy Solano and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-12-24 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religion and Film: The Basics is an accessible and engaging introduction to the history, diverse approaches, and ideas associated within the study of religion and film. Referencing films from around the world from the early 20th century to the present day, this unique introduction includes the following topics: the history and dynamics of religion and film various methods to approach religion and film the evolution of religion and film scholarship film genre and theory world religions and film unique themes—from race and gender roles to karma and redemption A fascinating range of films are discussed, from early silent films such as Hypocrites to recent releases such as Minari. Five genres are explored, including horror in The Wicker Man (UK) and Let the Right One In (Sweden), and world religions are analyzed in films such as OMG, The Big Lebowski, and Malcolm X. Tropes examined include gender in Water, karma in It’s a Wonderful Life, death in Biutiful, redemption in Magnolia, and evil in Get Out. With helpful features including recommendations for further study and key films to view, this book is an ideal starting point for students approaching religion and film for the first time as well as those interested in learning more about the field while broadening their methods, knowledge of film, and their film canon.

A Companion to Motion Pictures and Public Value

Author : Mette Hjort
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1119677122
Total Pages : 586 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (196 download)

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Book Synopsis A Companion to Motion Pictures and Public Value by : Mette Hjort

Download or read book A Companion to Motion Pictures and Public Value written by Mette Hjort and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2022-03-03 with total page 586 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A singular collection of original essays exploring the varied intersections of motion pictures and public value A Companion to Motion Pictures and Public Value presents a cross-disciplinary investigation of the past, present, and possible future contributions of the moving image to the public good. This unique volume explores the direct and indirect public value developed through motion pictures of different types, genres, and screening sites. Essays by world-renowned scholars from diverse disciplines present original conceptual work, philosophical arguments, historical discussion, empirical research, and specific case studies. Divided into seven thematically organized sections, the Companion identifies the various kinds of values that motion pictures can deliver, amongst them artistic, ethical, environmental, cultural, political, cognitive, and spiritual value. Each section includes an introduction in which the editors outline main themes and highlight connections between individual chapters. Throughout the text, probing essays interrogate the issue of public value as it relates to the cinema and provide insight into how motion pictures play a positive role in human life and society. Featuring original research essays on a pioneering topic, this innovative reference text: Brings together work by expert authors in disciplines such as Philosophy, Political Science, Cultural Studies, Film Studies, Sociology, and Environmental Studies Discusses a variety of institutional landscapes, policy formations, and types and styles of filmmaking Provides wide and inclusive coverage of cinema’s relation to public value in Africa, Asia, China, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas Explores the role of motion pictures in community formation, nation building, and the construction of good societies Covers new and emerging topics such as cinema-based fields focused on health and wellbeing A Companion to Motion Pictures and Public Value is an ideal textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in Film, Media, and Cultural Studies, and is a valuable resource for scholars across a variety of disciplines

Ford's The Modern Theologians

Author : Rachel Muers
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1119746787
Total Pages : 726 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (197 download)

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Book Synopsis Ford's The Modern Theologians by : Rachel Muers

Download or read book Ford's The Modern Theologians written by Rachel Muers and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2024-02-21 with total page 726 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Captures the multiple voices of Christian theology in a diverse and interconnected world through in-depth studies of representative figures and overviews of key movements Providing an unparalleled overview of the subject, The Modern Theologians provides an indispensable guide to the diverse approaches and perspectives within Christian theology from the early twentieth century to the present. Each chapter is written by a leading scholar and explores the development and trajectory of modern theology while presenting critical accounts of a broad range of relevant topics and representative thinkers. The fourth edition of The Modern Theologians is fully updated to provide readers with a clear picture of the broad spectrum and core concerns of modern Christian theology worldwide. It offers new perspectives on key twentieth-century figures and movements from different geographical and ecclesial contexts. There are expanded sections on theological dialogue with non-Christian traditions, and on Christian theology's engagement with the arts and sciences. A new section explores theological responses to urgent global challenges - such as nationalism, racism, and the environmental crisis. Providing the next generation of theologians with the tools needed to take theological conversations forward, The Modern Theologians: Explores Christian theology's engagement with multiple ways of knowing across diverse approaches and traditions Combines introductions to key modern theologians and coverage of the major movements within contemporary theology Identifies common dynamics found across theologies to enable cross-contextual comparisons Positions individual theologians in geographical regions, trans-local movements, and ecclesial contexts Features new and revised chapters written by experts in particular movements, topics, and individuals Providing in-depth critical evaluation and extensive references to further readings and research, Ford's The Modern Theologians: An Introduction to Christian Theology since 1918, Fourth Edition, remains an ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses in Theology and Religious Studies, such as Introduction to Christian Theology, Systematic Theology, Modern Theology, and Modern Theologians. It is also an invaluable resource for researchers, those involved in various forms of Christian ministry, teachers of religious studies, and general readers engaged in independent study.

Theology and Survival Movies

Author : Ioan Buteanu
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000841960
Total Pages : 243 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis Theology and Survival Movies by : Ioan Buteanu

Download or read book Theology and Survival Movies written by Ioan Buteanu and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-03-03 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides an innovative analysis of the survival movie genre from an Orthodox Christian anthropological perspective. Grounded in the Orthodox tradition, the approach builds from the first chapter of Genesis where man is described as made in the ‘image’ and after the ‘likeness’ of God. It offers a nuanced theological exploration of the concept of the survival movie and examines a number of significant cinematic creations, illustrating how issues of survival intersect romantic, Western, science fiction and war films. The author reflects on how survival movies offer a path for the study of human nature given they depict people in crisis situations where they may reveal their true characters. As well as discussing the role of a ‘limit situation’ as a narrative element, the book highlights the spiritual aspect of survival and points to the common hope in survival movies for something more than biological survival. It is valuable reading for scholars working in the field of religion and film.

The Dardenne Brothers’ Cinematic Parables

Author : Joel Mayward
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000686787
Total Pages : 259 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (6 download)

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Book Synopsis The Dardenne Brothers’ Cinematic Parables by : Joel Mayward

Download or read book The Dardenne Brothers’ Cinematic Parables written by Joel Mayward and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2022-09-30 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Dardenne Brothers’ Cinematic Parables examines the work of Belgian filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, who have been celebrated for their powerfully affecting social realist films. Though the Dardenne brothers’ films rarely mention religion or God, they have received wide recognition for their moral complexity and spiritual resonance. This book brings the Dardennes’ filmography into consideration with theological aesthetics, Christian ethics, phenomenological film theory, and continental philosophy. The author explores the brothers’ nine major films—beginning with The Promise (1996) and culminating in Young Ahmed (2019)—through the hermeneutics of philosopher Paul Ricoeur. By using Ricoeur’s description of "parable" as a "narrative-metaphor" which generates an existential limit-experience, Joel Mayward crafts an innovative Ricoeurian hermeneutic for making theological interpretations of cinema. Drawing upon resources from three disciplinary spheres—theology, philosophy, and film studies—in a dynamic interweaving approach, Mayward proposes that the Dardennes create postsecular cinematic parables which evoke theological and ethical responses in audiences’ imaginations through the brothers’ distinctive filmmaking style, what is termed "transcendent realism." The book ultimately demonstrates how the Dardenne brothers are truly doing, not merely depicting, theology and ethics through the cinematic form—it presents film as theology, what Mayward refers to as "theocinematics." This is valuable reading for scholars of theology, philosophy, and film studies, as well as film critics and cinephiles interested in the cinema of the Dardenne brothers.

Lars von Trier's Cinema

Author : Rebecca Ver Straten-McSparran
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 100042782X
Total Pages : 296 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (4 download)

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Book Synopsis Lars von Trier's Cinema by : Rebecca Ver Straten-McSparran

Download or read book Lars von Trier's Cinema written by Rebecca Ver Straten-McSparran and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-11-12 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a bold and dynamic examination of Lars von Trier’s cinema by interweaving philosophy and theology with close attention to aesthetics through style and narrative. It explores the prophetic voice of von Trier's films, juxtaposing them with Ezekiel's prophecy and Ricoeur’s symbols of evil, myth, and hermeneutics of revelation. The films of Lars von Trier are categorized as extreme cinema, inducing trauma and emotional rupture rarely paralleled, while challenging audiences to respond in new ways. This volume argues that the spiritual, biblical content of the films holds a key to understanding von Trier’s oeuvre of excess. Spiritual conflict is the mechanism that unpacks the films’ notorious excess with explosive, centrifugal force. By confronting the spectator with spiritual conflict through evil, von Trier's films truthfully and prophetically expose the spectator’s complicity in personal and structural evil, forcing self-examination through theological themes, analogous to the prophetic voice of the transgressive Hebrew prophet Ezekiel, his prophecy, and its form of delivery. Placed in context with the prophetic voices of Dante, Milton, Dostoyevsky, O’Connor, and Tarkovsky, this volume offers a theoretical framework beyond von Trier. It will be of great interest to scholars in Film Studies, Film and Philosophy, Film and Theology.

New Approaches to Islam in Film

Author : Kristian Petersen
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351189131
Total Pages : 205 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (511 download)

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Book Synopsis New Approaches to Islam in Film by : Kristian Petersen

Download or read book New Approaches to Islam in Film written by Kristian Petersen and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-04-26 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many global film industries fail in expanding the role of Muslims on screen. Too often they produce a dichotomy between "good" and "bad" Muslims, limiting the narrative domain to issues of national security, war, and terrorism. Naturally, much of the previous scholarship on Muslims in film focused on stereotypes and the politics of representation. This collection of essays, from an international panel of contributors, significantly expands the boundaries of discussion around Muslims in film, asking new questions of the archive and magnifying analyses of particular cultural productions. The volume includes the exploration of regional cinemas, detailed analysis of auteurs and individual films, comparison across global cinema, and new explorations that have not yet entered the conversation. The interdisciplinary collection provides an examination of the multiple roles Islam plays in film and the various ways Muslims are depicted. Across the chapters, key intersecting themes arise that push the limits of how we currently approach issues of Muslims in cinema and ventures to lead us in new directions for future scholarship. This book adds new depth to the matrix of previous scholarship by revisiting methodological structures and sources, as well as exploring new visual geographies, transnational circuits, and approaches. It reframes the presiding scholarly conventions in five novel trajectories: considering new sources, exploring new communities, probing new perspectives, charting new theoretical directions, and offering new ways of understanding conflict in cinema. As such, it will be of great use to scholars working in Islamic Studies, Film Studies, Religious Studies, and Media.

Film and Redemption

Author : David Rankin
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000613283
Total Pages : 217 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (6 download)

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Book Synopsis Film and Redemption by : David Rankin

Download or read book Film and Redemption written by David Rankin and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2022-07-22 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the representation of the idea or theme of redemption in contemporary, popular film. The discussion focuses primarily on the work of three directors – Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese and Kore-eda Hirokazu – but also considers a few films from other directorial hands. David Rankin divides the notion of personal redemption into transactional and transformational aspects, differentiating between redemption, understood as that which is external to the person but impacting on their being and environment, and that which is internal to the person. Redemption is viewed broadly as a journey from brokenness to wholeness, from imprisonment to release, or from some form of slavery to freedom. Both secular and religious (especially Christian) understandings of the notion are discussed, and consideration is given to how the former might inform the latter.

Thinking from the Han

Author : David L. Hall
Publisher : SUNY Press
ISBN 13 : 9780791436134
Total Pages : 360 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (361 download)

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Book Synopsis Thinking from the Han by : David L. Hall

Download or read book Thinking from the Han written by David L. Hall and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 1998-01-01 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines the issues of self (including gender), truth, and transcendence in classical Chinese and Western philosophy.

Transnational Transcendence

Author : Thomas J. Csordas
Publisher : University of California Press
ISBN 13 : 0520257421
Total Pages : 349 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (22 download)

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Book Synopsis Transnational Transcendence by : Thomas J. Csordas

Download or read book Transnational Transcendence written by Thomas J. Csordas and published by University of California Press. This book was released on 2009-03-31 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This innovative collection examines the transnational movements, effects, and transformations of religion in the contemporary world, offering a fresh perspective on the interrelation between globalization and religion. Transnational Transcendence challenges some widely accepted ideas about this relationship—in particular, that globalization can be understood solely as an economic phenomenon and that its religious manifestations are secondary. The book points out that religion's role remains understudied and undertheorized as an element in debates about globalization, and it raises questions about how and why certain forms of religious practice and intersubjectivity succeed as they cross national and cultural boundaries. Framed by Thomas J. Csordas's introduction, this timely volume both urges further development of a theory of religion and globalization and constitutes an important step toward that theory.

China’s Youth Cultures and Collective Spaces

Author : Vanessa Frangville
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429509030
Total Pages : 462 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (295 download)

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Book Synopsis China’s Youth Cultures and Collective Spaces by : Vanessa Frangville

Download or read book China’s Youth Cultures and Collective Spaces written by Vanessa Frangville and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-09-10 with total page 462 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presenting the collaborative work of 13 international specialists of contemporary Chinese culture and society, this book explores the spaces of creation, production, and diffusion of "youth cultures" in China among generations born since the 1980s. Defining the concept of "youth culture" as practices and activities that catalyze self-expression and creativity, this book investigates the emergence of new physical spaces, including large avenues, parks, shopping malls, and recreation areas. Building on this, it also examines the influence of non-physical places, especially digital cultures, such as online social networks, shopping platforms, Cosplay, cyberliterature, and digital calligraphy and argues that these may in fact play a more significant role in Chinese civil society today. As an exploration of how youth can be creative even in a coercive environment, China’s Youth Cultures and Collective Spaces will be valuable to students and scholars of Chinese society, as well those working on the links between space, youth, and culture.

The Subject of Film and Race

Author : Gerald Sim
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 162356753X
Total Pages : 241 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (235 download)

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Book Synopsis The Subject of Film and Race by : Gerald Sim

Download or read book The Subject of Film and Race written by Gerald Sim and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2014-07-31 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Subject of Film and Race is the first comprehensive intervention into how film critics and scholars have sought to understand cinema's relationship to racial ideology. In attempting to do more than merely identify harmful stereotypes, research on 'films and race' appropriates ideas from post-structuralist theory. But on those platforms, the field takes intellectual and political positions that place its anti-racist efforts at an impasse. While presenting theoretical ideas in an accessible way, Gerald Sim's historical materialist approach uniquely triangulates well-known work by Edward Said with the Neo-Marxian writing about film by Theodor Adorno and Fredric Jameson. The Subject of Film and Race takes on topics such as identity politics, multiculturalism, multiracial discourse, and cyborg theory, to force film and media studies into rethinking their approach, specifically towards humanism and critical subjectivity. The book illustrates theoretical discussions with a diverse set of familiar films by John Ford, Michael Mann, Todd Solondz, Quentin Tarantino, Keanu Reeves, and others, to show that we must always be aware of capitalist history when thinking about race, ethnicity, and films.

Eastern Approaches to Western Film

Author : Stephen Teo
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 135011331X
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (51 download)

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Book Synopsis Eastern Approaches to Western Film by : Stephen Teo

Download or read book Eastern Approaches to Western Film written by Stephen Teo and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2019-07-11 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Eastern Approaches to Western Film: Asian Aesthetics and Reception in Cinema offers a renewed critical outlook on Western classic film directly from the pantheon of European and American masters, including Alfred Hitchcock, George Lucas, Robert Bresson, Carl Dreyer, Jean-Pierre Melville, John Ford, Leo McCarey, Sam Peckinpah, and Orson Welles. The book contributes an “Eastern Approach” into the critical studies of Western films by reappraising selected films of these masters, matching and comparing their visions, themes, and ideas with the philosophical and paradigmatic principles of the East. It traces Eastern inscriptions and signs embedded within these films as well as their social lifestyle values and other concepts that are also inherently Eastern. As such, the book represents an effort to reformulate established discourses on Western cinema that are overwhelmingly Eurocentric. Although it seeks to inject an alternative perspective, the ultimate aim is to reach a balance of East and West. By focusing on Eastern aesthetic and philosophical influences in Western films, the book suggests that there is a much more thorough integration of East and West than previously thought or imagined.

Major Aspects of Chinese Religion and Philosophy

Author : Chun Shan
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3642293174
Total Pages : 340 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (422 download)

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Book Synopsis Major Aspects of Chinese Religion and Philosophy by : Chun Shan

Download or read book Major Aspects of Chinese Religion and Philosophy written by Chun Shan and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-06-26 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book addresses academically the major aspects of Chinese religion and philosophy, designated as the doctrine of being internal sage and external king. The perspective applied is the integration between western and Chinese scholarship and English readers may gain an easy and interesting access to Chinese intellectual tradition, distinctive itself in a harmony between being holy and secular in any mundane human being to the western tradition of “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s”. By this contrast the intellectual charms and spiritual merits of Chinese tradition will be better appreciated, hence conducive to the much anticipated dialogues between western and eastern civilizations at this globalized yet conflicted world.

Making Transcendents

Author : Robert Ford Campany
Publisher : University of Hawaii Press
ISBN 13 : 0824863496
Total Pages : 321 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (248 download)

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Book Synopsis Making Transcendents by : Robert Ford Campany

Download or read book Making Transcendents written by Robert Ford Campany and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2009-02-18 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Honorable Mention, Joseph Levenson Prize (pre-1900 category), Association for Asian Studies By the middle of the third century B.C.E. in China there were individuals who sought to become transcendents (xian)—deathless, godlike beings endowed with supernormal powers. This quest for transcendence became a major form of religious expression and helped lay the foundation on which the first Daoist religion was built. Both xian and those who aspired to this exalted status in the centuries leading up to 350 C.E. have traditionally been portrayed as secretive and hermit-like figures. This groundbreaking study offers a very different view of xian-seekers in late classical and early medieval China. It suggests that transcendence did not involve a withdrawal from society but rather should be seen as a religious role situated among other social roles and conceived in contrast to them. Robert Campany argues that the much-discussed secrecy surrounding ascetic disciplines was actually one important way in which practitioners presented themselves to others. He contends, moreover, that many adepts were not socially isolated at all but were much sought after for their power to heal the sick, divine the future, and narrate their exotic experiences. The book moves from a description of the roles of xian and xian-seekers to an account of how individuals filled these roles, whether by their own agency or by others’—or, often, by both. Campany summarizes the repertoire of features that constituted xian roles and presents a detailed example of what analyses of those cultural repertoires look like. He charts the functions of a basic dialectic in the self-presentations of adepts and examines their narratives and relations with others, including family members and officials. Finally, he looks at hagiographies as attempts to persuade readers as to the identities and reputations of past individuals. His interpretation of these stories allows us to see how reputations were shaped and even co-opted—sometimes quite surprisingly—into the ranks of xian. Making Transcendents provides a nuanced discussion that draws on a sophisticated grasp of diverse theoretical sources while being thoroughly grounded in traditional Chinese hagiographical, historiographical, and scriptural texts. The picture it presents of the quest for transcendence as a social phenomenon in early medieval China is original and provocative, as is the paradigm it offers for understanding the roles of holy persons in other societies.