Twelfth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

Needless to say, that The Religions of China is such an important book on China that brought significant attention from scholars of China Studies. In 2013, a group of well-known social scientists from China and around the world held an international conference titled as “Max Weber and China: Culture, Law and Capitalism”. In 2016, for the centennial celebration of the book publication, a group of top social scientists in China also held a special forum in Beijing to reexamine Weber’s work. Ironically, the conference was organized by a very small non-profit organization “Hong Dao Shu Yuan” (Academy of Promoting Dao) consists of a very small group of scholars specialized in Confucianism. Thus, it is not surprise that the title of the forum was “Out of Weber’s Myth.” Apparently, scholars from these two conferences represent two different perspectives on Weber’s book. Nevertheless, both of them recognized the importance of the book. My paper is divided into two parts. First, I provide a brief review of Weber’s book with a table that best illustrates Weber’s view than the previous studies. Second, I address status of Confucianism and Daoism in China today and how they affect recent changes in China.

Presenters

Xun Wang
Full Professor, Director of China Studies, Director of Child & Family Certificate Program, Sociology, Institute for China Studies, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Wisconsin, United States