THESIS
2019
viii, 122 pages : illustrations, maps ; 30 cm
Abstract
This research discusses the relationship between Benzhu religious practices and local
society in a Bai village, southwest China. Benzhu as a collective name refers to the various
village gods around Dali region. Benzhu worship is described as representative of Bai culture
and has existed since Nanzhao period. By focusing on the daily lives of the people, this
research finds that beyond the ethnic discourse, Benzhu worship marks village boundaries,
deals with problems in people’s daily lives and has significant meaning for social
organization and operation. Family ties are linked and fractured through the mediation of the
Benzhu temple, and the public space in the village community is constructed as well as
maintained by the Benzhu temple. Furthermore, Benzhu worship can be used...[
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This research discusses the relationship between Benzhu religious practices and local
society in a Bai village, southwest China. Benzhu as a collective name refers to the various
village gods around Dali region. Benzhu worship is described as representative of Bai culture
and has existed since Nanzhao period. By focusing on the daily lives of the people, this
research finds that beyond the ethnic discourse, Benzhu worship marks village boundaries,
deals with problems in people’s daily lives and has significant meaning for social
organization and operation. Family ties are linked and fractured through the mediation of the
Benzhu temple, and the public space in the village community is constructed as well as
maintained by the Benzhu temple. Furthermore, Benzhu worship can be used by different
local actors such as the spirit medium or the Elderly Association to negotiate with their
survival environment and their experienced world. The dynamic relationship between Benzhu
worship and the local society is rarely discussed. This research suggests an understanding of
local society out of the binary of minority—Han dichotomy; the investigation of how the
society organizes people to cope with their living environment, and local actors’ responses to
the social changes in different contexts.
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