Religion and the State in Russia and China : Suppression, Survival, and Revival

"Lucidly and engagingly written, Christopher Marsh's book is a landmark contribution to the growing literature on secularization and desecularization in the modern world. Previous studies have typically focused on a single country or religious movement, while there has been precious little comparative, cross-national and cross-civilizational research. Yet, without comparative research, it is impossible to theorize desecularization and detect its broad, cross-national meaning, patterns, causes, and consequences. Dr. Marsh's book fills in this gap. It detects and theorizes the patterns of religions' suppression, resilience and resurgence by comparatively exploring the cases of Russia and China. These are, without an exaggeration, the two most important and massive cases of forced secularization and subsequent religious resurgence in the 20th - early 21st century. The book marshals impressive empirical evidence, ranging from documentary sources to representative national surveys."--Bloomsbury Publishing. This Is A Masterful Work, By A Scholar With The Rare Ability To Handle Sources In Both Russian And Chinese, That Sheds Much Light On Theoretical Debates Surrounding Religion And Modernity, Secularization, And Desecularization. But It Is Much More Than That; It Is Also An Inspiring Story Of Human Resilience In The Face Of Oppression. Peter L. Berger, University Professor Emeritus, Boston University, Usa. Lucidly And Engagingly Written, Christopher Marsh's Book Is A Landmark Contribution To The Growing Literature On Secularization And Desecularization In The Modern World. Marsh Detects And Theorizes The Patterns Of Religion's Suppression, Resilience And Resurgence By Comparatively Exploring The Cases Of Russia And China. An Outstanding Expert On Both, Marsh Aptly Utilizes His Thorough Knowledge Of The Two Cases And His Fluency In Both Languages To Present To His Readers A Convincing, Empirically Grounded Yet Theoretically Consequential Account Of The Stunning Resilience Of Faith Under The Ruthlessly Oppressive Atheist Regimes, And Of Its Ongoing Spectacular Revival. Vyacheslav Karpov, Western Michigan University, Usa. Religion And The State In Russia And China Explores The Religious Nature Of Man Through The Cases Of Forced Secularization In The Soviet Union And China, Providing An In-depth Account Of The Failure And Successes Of Both Countries' Secularization Policies. The Research For This Project Includes Extensive Fieldwork In Both Russia And China, Including Survey Research, Ethno-graphic Fieldwork, And Interviews With Scholars, Believers/non-believers, And Relevant Political Figures. Religion And The State In Russia And China Offers Original Research For In-depth Survey That Will Interest Anyone Studying Politics And Religion, Religion Policy, And Theories Of Religion. --book Jacket. Introduction: From Forced Secularization To Desecularization -- The Theological Roots Of Militant Atheism -- Evicting God : Forced Secularization In The Soviet Union -- Faith In Defiance : The Persistence Of Religion Under Scientific Atheism -- Russia's Religious Renaissance -- China's Third Opium War : The Ccp's Struggle With Religion -- Keeping The Faith : The Persistence Of Religious Life In Communist China -- From Religious Anesthesia To Jesus Fever -- Conclusion: Man, The State, And God. Christopher Marsh. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Religion and the State in Russia and China explores the religious nature of man through the cases of forced secularization in the Soviet Union and China. The book provides an in-depth account of the failure and successes of both countries' secularization policies. Starting with the theological innovations that led to atheistic theorizing, it then looks at the policies that were implemented to speed up the suppression of religious beliefs and what ultimately led to today's resurgence of religion. Russia and China are ideal cases for a comparative study as both experimented with the idea of era A comparative survey of the secularization policies of the Soviet Union and China that looks at the suppression, survival, and revival of religion in both countries. It offers original research for an in-depth survey that may interest those studying politics and religion, policies, as well as theories of desecularization.