Religion in China: Survival and Revival under Communist Rule by Fenggang Yang

Author:Fenggang Yang [Yang, Fenggang]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2011-09-30T05:00:00+00:00

6

THE SHORTAGE ECONOMY OF

RELIGION UNDER COMMUNISM

WHEN A GOVERNMENT imposes its ideology and suppresses its competitors, to what extent can it succeed? Throughout human history, many regimes have sought to establish a state religion and eradicate all competitors. In the recent past, the Soviet-bloc governments tried to impose the Communist ideology on the people and suppress all religions. China went even further, experimenting with a ban on all religions for more than a decade. Despite the best efforts of the Party-state, religion survived. The Chinese government has also failed to keep religion at a reduced level during the reform era since 1979. All kinds of religions are thriving in China today. The restrictive regulations that intend to keep religion at a low level have instead created vivacious dynamics on the demand side, which, I argue, is characteristic of a shortage economy of religion. While the triple-market model describes the complex tripartite economy of religion, this chapter articulates a shortage-economy theory that underpins the triple-market complexity.

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