Ian Johnson - "The Souls of China" - East Asia Workshop: Politics, Economy and Society

Ian Johnson is The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao.

Presented in partnership with the East Asia Workshop: Politics, Economy and Society

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About the book: The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao (Pantheon/Knopf in the US and Penguin in the UK, both on April 11, 2017) tells the story of one of the world's great spiritual revivals. Following a century of violent anti-religious campaigns, China is now filled with new temples, churches and mosques--as well as cults, sects and politicians trying to harness religion for their own ends. Driving this explosion of faith is uncertainty--over what it means to be Chinese, and how to live an ethical life in a country that discarded traditional morality a century ago and is still searching for new guideposts.

This book is the culmination of a six-year project following an underground Protestant church in Chengdu, pilgrims in Beijing, rural Daoist priests in Shanxi, and meditation groups in caves in the country's south.

About the author: Ian Johnson is a Pulitzer-Prize winning writer focusing on society, religion, and history. He works out of Beijing and Berlin, where he also teaches and advises academic journals and think tanks.

About the co-sponsor: The East Asia Workshop has a long tradition of promoting inter-disciplinary conversation among students and faculty members whose interests lie in East Asia. Topics discussed in the workshop cover politics, economy, society and culture. We encourage students and faculty from different academic fields to present their original work. Presenters come from disciplines like sociology, political science, economics, anthropology, history, etc. This workshop provides a valuable venue for them to present their on-going projects and receive critiques and encouragement. We also invite outside speakers to give talks.