Revolutions in Revelations
Over the past year and a half, I have started on a project to examine the development of sacred space of the Yiguan Dao in 20th century China and Taiwan. By combining evidence from written texts, interviews, and field observations, this project highlights the central importance of place in the eschatology of Yiguan Dao practitioners. I am particularly interested in how leaders of Yiguan Dao have developed different notions of ritual place in response to shifts in the social and political climate. Unlike earlier studies, which have measured shifts in Yiguan Dao temples based on its physical size, I stress that there is a complex (and at times contradictory) conceptions surrounding the construction of Yiguan Dao temples. This project has been supported by funds from UC Berkeley and National Cheng-chi University in Taiwan.
