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LRCCS Noon Lecture Series | The Ritual Challenge to Chinese Vernacular Literature: Views from a Village in Hunan

Mark Meulenbeld, Associate Professor of Chinese Religion and Literature, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
12:00-1:00 PM
Room 1636 School of Social Work Building Map
The research presented in this talk suggests possibilities for a new direction in the study of Ming vernacular literature. Going beyond the argument of Professor Meulenbeld’s monograph “Demonic Warfare,” where he reveals the ritual foundations of Ming novels like “Fengshen yanyi”, he relates the content of vernacular literature to Daoist ritual practice in the rural villages of present-day Central Hunan. He will show that the story of “Fengshen yanyi” informs the content of local Daoist ritual as well as the institutions that codify and disseminate ritual, and challenges the Western, secular implications of the category of literature and surmise that these Chinese vernacular narratives should be more properly understood in relation to ritual.

Mark Meulenbeld is Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he teaches Chinese religion and literature with a focus on Daoism. His areas of research range from vernacular literature of the Ming dynasty to fieldwork on Daoism in Hunan (PRC) and on Taiwan. His recent publications include a monograph on the intersection of literature, religion, and society, entitled “Demonic Warfare: Daoism, Territorial Networks, and the History of a Ming Novel” (University of Hawai’i Press, 2015), and an article about late imperial hagiographies of a Buddhist goddess that depict her as a gloomy spirit: “Death and Demonization of a Bodhisattva: Guanyin’s Reformulation within Chinese Religion” (JAAR, Sept. 2016).
Building: School of Social Work Building
Event Type: Lecture / Discussion
Tags: Chinese Studies
Source: Happening @ Michigan from Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies, International Institute, Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MEMS), Asian Languages and Cultures

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The International Institute’s centers sponsor numerous conferences, lectures, exhibits, and cultural performances throughout the year. These events are designed to educate the university community and the public about global issues and inspire discussion and dialogue. 

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