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Making Christ Present in China

Actor-Network Theory and the Anthropology of Christianity

  • Book
  • © 2020

Overview

Authors:
  1. Michel Chambon

    1. Anthropology, Hanover College, Hanover, USA

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  • A theoretically innovative application of Actor-Network Theory to the field of religion in China
  • Provides a new conceptualization of the agency of Christ in Christian churches
  • Presents an ethnographic study of Catholic and Protestant Christian churches in the city of Nanping

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiv
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  2. Studying Chinese Christianity

    • Michel Chambon
    Pages 1-31

  3. The Epiphany of the Three

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 33-33
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    2. Building Churches on Chinese Soil

      • Michel Chambon
      Pages 35-77

    3. Responding Together in the Face of the Lord

      • Michel Chambon
      Pages 79-130

    4. Revealing the Pastoral Church Through Elderly Care

      • Michel Chambon
      Pages 131-195

  4. The Networking of the Three

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 197-197
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    2. The Overflow of Gifts

      • Michel Chambon
      Pages 199-237

    3. The Bloody Business of Christian Conversion

      • Michel Chambon
      Pages 239-276

    4. Conclusion: The Tree of Life

      • Michel Chambon
      Pages 277-286

  5. Back Matter

    Pages 287-290
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Keywords

About this book

An anthropological theorization of the unity and diversity of Christianity, this book focuses on Christian communities in Nanping, a small city in China. It applies methodological insights from Actor-Network Theory to investigate how the Christian God is made part of local social networks. The study examines how Christians interact with and re-define material objects, such as buildings, pews, offerings, and blood, in order to identify the kind of networks and non-human actors that they collectively design. By comparing local Christian traditions with other practices informing the Nanping religious landscape, the study points out potential cohesion via the centralizing presence of the Christian God, the governing nature of the pastoral clergy, and the semi-transcendent being of the Church. 


Reviews

“Making Christ Present in China takes a valiant step in that direction by bringing new theoretical models to account for the full complexity of one slice of Chinese Christianity.” (Yucheng Bai, Review of Religion and Chinese Society, Vol. 9 (1), 2022)

“This study can help us gain insight into contemporary Chinese Christian faith processes and social practices.” (Wei Xiong, Religious Studies Review, Vol. 47 (3), September, 2021)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Anthropology, Hanover College, Hanover, USA

    Michel Chambon

About the author

Michel Chambon is Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Hanover College, USA. He completed a Master’s in Theology at the Catholic University of Paris, France and a Ph.D. in Anthropology at Boston University, USA. He has also been a visiting researcher at the University of Notre Dame, USA. 

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Making Christ Present in China

  • Book Subtitle: Actor-Network Theory and the Anthropology of Christianity

  • Authors: Michel Chambon

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55605-1

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-55604-4Published: 25 October 2020

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-55607-5Published: 26 October 2021

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-55605-1Published: 24 October 2020

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XIV, 290

  • Number of Illustrations: 7 b/w illustrations, 29 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Social Anthropology, Ethnography, Sociology of Religion, Sociological Theory, Christianity

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