The Local Islamic Associations and the Party-State: Consanguinity and opportunities

Journal article

In order to get to the heart of interactions between the state and Muslim communities and to understand local variants in the religious field, this article will focus on the role played by the Nanjing Islamic Association. This work breaks with top-down approaches, which concentrate on religions from the point of view of the central state, as well as with studies centred on the communities themselves, which overlook links with the state. Shedding light on the historical legacies of the Association and the networks of people comprising it shows that the link between the Party-state and religious communities is not a straightforward relationship of control and repression. It involves complex negotiations that have allowed a depoliticised form of Islam to develop in coastal China.

Authors: Doyon, J

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: French Centre for Research on Contemporary China
• Journal: China Perspectives
• Publication date: 2014-11-25
• Acceptance date: 2014-11-06
• EISSN: 1996-4617
• ISSN: 2070-3449
• Keywords: Islam; nationalities; Nanjing; SBTMR; United Front; Party-state; religious management