The Current Development of Religious Studies in the Chinese Intellectual World

Abstract

一九八○年代以來因著中國大陸與台灣兩地政治箝制的鬆綁，宗教活動也隨之蓬勃發展起來。為因應這個現象，雙方學界開始意識到宗教研究的重要，並陸續設立為數眾多的宗教系、所，個別針對特定宗教傳統或主題進行深度研究。本論文首先釐清此一宗教研究盛況的歷史、政治、以及意識型態等背景，繼之根據兩地官方所提供二○○○～二○○六年之間一千篇以上的項、博士論文，分析其主題分類與發展趨勢。本論文一方面肯定兩地當前宗教研究的成就，但在另一方面也指出，此一學術領域如欲進至更成熟的階段，則有必要在學衛視野與實践上有所變革，其中至為重要者包括正視宗教為一有機生命體、接觸更廣的宗教理論、紮實的基礎訓練、以及與國際宗教研究學界緊密接執。\r\nReligious activities have been thriving in China and Taiwan since 1980s when the respective governments of these two states loosened their political control The study of religion, in response to this rising phenomenon, has become an attractive field in the Chinese intellectual world. Many institutes or departments of religion have been established, and each has distinguished itself in a certain area of study. This paper spells out the historical, political, and ideological background from which the current development of religious studies has derived. Analyzing and classifying over one thousand M A and Ph D theses produced during 2000-2006, it further highlights the trends and prominent features of this nascent scholarship. The paper acknowledges the achievement of religious studies in present-day China and Taiwan. It at the same time points out that if this scholarship is to advance to a more sophisticated stage, his in need of a change of vision and practice that includes viewing religions as lived and living realities, more exposure to theories of religion, solid basic training, and mote interaction with the international field of religious studies.