Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies, University of Melbourne
5:30 – 6.30pm AEDT, Wednesday 25 March 2020
Yasuko Hiraoka Myer Room, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, University of Melbourne
In the early decades of socialist China, folk beliefs and ritual practices were frowned upon as ‘feudal superstitions’, out of keeping with the progress of a modernizing economy. In the reform era (1978) this view underwent change as the Chinese government together with Chinese scholars attempted to salvage what they could from China’s rich cultural heritage after the destructive years of the Cultural Revolution. In the early 2000s the government advanced the idea that China should pursue an ‘ecological civilisation’, although it was somewhat vague about what this involved. This new policy, together with the introduction of notions of intangible cultural heritage based on UNESCO standards, led to renewed interest in China’s indigenous belief systems. Scholars began to research the role of folk ecologies and practices in sustaining China’s society and economy over the millennia. This seminar will discuss recent trends in the study of indigenous folk ecology in China’s lower Yangzi River delta. The focus will be on water ecology, disaster management, and floods.
About the speaker
Anne McLaren is Professor of Chinese Studies at the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne. She is the author of numerous studies on the popular culture of China’s late imperial era, with a focus on novels, isoral traditions, and theatrical performance. A recent interest is Intangible Cultural Heritage in China. Her projects have been funded by the Australian Research Council and the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Exchange, Taiwan. A recent publication is “Interpreting Sinitic Heritage: Ethnography and Identity in China and Southeast Asia”, special issue of Asian Ethnology (2017). Her books include Performing Grief: Bridal Laments in Rural China; Chinese Popular Culture and Ming Chantefables and Environmental Preservation and Cultural Heritage in China (co-authored).