Sociology of Religion in China: Current Status and Future Directions

In conjunction with the Summer Institute 2004, an International Conference of Chinese Sociology of Religion was held on July 10-11, 2004 at Jimen Hotel, Beijing. The theme of the Conference was “Sociology of Religion in China: Current Status and Future Directions.”

 About 30 established scholars or advanced graduate students submitted papers and made presentations. Several scholars from the United States, Britain, Italy and Hong Kong participated in the conference. Some papers made retrospective and prospective comments on the development of the sociology of religion. Some papers reported fieldwork studies of churches and temples or surveys of religious converts. A focal point of the Conference was discussing whether sociological theories developed in America and Europe were applicable in China. Many Chinese scholars remarked that this first symposium of the sociology of religion was a breakthrough, appreciated the opportunity for getting together to exchange views and empirical findings.