Overview
- A theoretically innovative application of Actor-Network Theory to the field of religion in China
- Provides a new conceptualization of the agency of Christ in Christian churches
- Presents an ethnographic study of Catholic and Protestant Christian churches in the city of Nanping
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About this book
An anthropological theorization of the unity and diversity of Christianity, this book focuses on Christian communities in Nanping, a small city in China. It applies methodological insights from Actor-Network Theory to investigate how the Christian God is made part of local social networks. The study examines how Christians interact with and re-define material objects, such as buildings, pews, offerings, and blood, in order to identify the kind of networks and non-human actors that they collectively design. By comparing local Christian traditions with other practices informing the Nanping religious landscape, the study points out potential cohesion via the centralizing presence of the Christian God, the governing nature of the pastoral clergy, and the semi-transcendent being of the Church.
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Keywords
Table of contents (7 chapters)
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Front Matter
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The Epiphany of the Three
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Front Matter
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The Networking of the Three
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Reviews
“Making Christ Present in China takes a valiant step in that direction by bringing new theoretical models to account for the full complexity of one slice of Chinese Christianity.” (Yucheng Bai, Review of Religion and Chinese Society, Vol. 9 (1), 2022)
“This study can help us gain insight into contemporary Chinese Christian faith processes and social practices.” (Wei Xiong, Religious Studies Review, Vol. 47 (3), September, 2021)
“This study can help us gain insight into contemporary Chinese Christian faith processes and social practices.” (Wei Xiong, Religious Studies Review, Vol. 47 (3), September, 2021)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Michel Chambon is Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Hanover College, USA. He completed a Master’s in Theology at the Catholic University of Paris, France and a Ph.D. in Anthropology at Boston University, USA. He has also been a visiting researcher at the University of Notre Dame, USA.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Making Christ Present in China
Book Subtitle: Actor-Network Theory and the Anthropology of Christianity
Authors: Michel Chambon
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55605-1
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-55604-4Published: 25 October 2020
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-55607-5Published: 26 October 2021
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-55605-1Published: 24 October 2020
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIV, 290
Number of Illustrations: 7 b/w illustrations, 29 illustrations in colour
Topics: Social Anthropology, Ethnography, Sociology of Religion, Sociological Theory, Christianity