Our Story
The Center on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue has been established to advance the social scientific study of religion in Chinese societies and among the Chinese in diasporas. Both of the words “Chinese” and “religion” are inclusive here. We are interested in all religions and spiritualities practiced by the Chinese anywhere in the world, and being Chinese in the global era means being cosmopolitan and going beyond existing boundaries. We hope that our research projects and scholarly exchanges will help to deepen scholarly understanding of Chinese religions, and will enhance mutual understanding of Chinese and American peoples. We would like the CRCS to become a bridge – a bridge between scholars at Purdue and scholars in other parts of the United States, a bridge between Chinese and American scholars across the Pacific, and a bridge between scholars and the public through media, symposia, lectures, and publications. We hope CRCS will serve the scholarly community of Chinese religions in the global village.
It has been ten years since the founding of the Center on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University. In the beginning, we set out to advance the social scientific study of religion in Chinese societies and among the Chinese diaspora. With the generous support of Purdue University, John Templeton Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, and many individuals, we have accomplished much. Highlighted here are some of the major milestones in the cultivation of this nascent field of inquiry: research projects, conferences, workshops, the new journal Review of Religion and Chinese Society, books and articles, and more.
To celebrate the past and to chart the future, we are organizing a series of symposia to review the state of the art in research on each of the major religions in “Global China.”
From the beginning, we have served as a bridge across the Pacific. Moving forward, we are broadening our mission to the “Global East.”
