As part of our ongoing joint lecture series with the US-China Catholic Association (USCCA) and China Academic Consortium (CAC), USCCA will host the next lecture on Wednesday, January 25 at Fordham University, Lincoln Center Campus in New York City. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ian Johnson will present the lecture, titled “China’s New Civil Religion: A Challenge and Opportunity for Engagement.”
When outsiders think of religion in China, they tend to focus on persecution—for example, Muslims in Xinjiang or Christians in many big Chinese cities. While that is true for some faiths, China is also in the midst of a religious boom, which the government is trying to use to further its grip on power. That includes rebuilding ancient temples, subsidizing pilgrimages to holy mountains, and endorsing Confucian philosophers. But can authoritarianism and religious life coexist? What are the risks as the government in Beijing embraces some religions while opposing others?
Ian Johnson is Stephen A. Schwarzman senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who lived in China for more than 20 years. A regular contributor to the New York Times, he is the author of Wild Grass: Three Stories of Change in Modern China (Pantheon, 2004) and The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao (Vintage, 2017), as well as numerous other publications.
Those of you in the New York City area can attend the lecture in person. Others can register to view the lecture online.
Here are the details:
In Person
Wednesday, January 25, 2023
6:30 pm EST
Fordham University, Lincoln Center Campus
McNally Amphitheater
140 W 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023
Reception to follow
Online
Wed, Jan 25 / 6:30 pm (EST)
Wed, Jan 25 / 3:30 pm (PST)
Thurs, Jan 26 / 7:30 am (China)
Find more details and register on the USCCA website.
This event is being hosted by United States-China Catholic Association and co-hosted by the China Academic Consortium and ChinaSource. We hope to see you there, either in person or online.
Image Credit: via Piqsels.
Joann Pittman
Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs. Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University …View Full Bio
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