The Evolution of Chinese Shamanism: A Case Study from Northwest China
Religions December 4, 2018 Haiyan Xing, Gerald Murray 8 citations
Shamanism among the Tu ethnic group in Qinghai Province, Northwest China, has undergone two major changes: a decline in private healing rituals and a rise in shaman-led collective rainfall ceremonies that affect the entire community. These shifts are driven by techno-economic, sociopolitical, and ideational factors outside the religious system itself. The analysis adapts Historical Materialism (Marx and Engels) and Cultural Materialism (Marvin Harris) to contemporary Chinese reality, emphasizing that while technology and economics remain causally important, the Chinese experience—from national economic transformations to local Tu shamanism—forces attention on the causal impact of socio-political and ideological variables.