The Philanthropic Turn of Religions in Post-Mao China: Bureaucratization,Professionalization,and the Making of a Moral Subject

Abstract

Religious philanthropy has grown steadily as a social force in post-Mao China. This article explores the interactions between religious policy and religious philanthropy to understand the transformations at the levels of the state, religious groups, and individuals. State policy toward religion has shifted significantly since the 1980s; however, religious groups initiated philanthropic practices in various forms long before state policies were in place. Recent regulations calling on the “religion sector” to contribute to the larger society have not only aimed at shedding the burdens of the socialist state but also demanded more transparency and accountability of religious groups. Based on fieldwork in Jiangsu province from 2006 to 2014, this article argues that religious groups have experienced increasing bureaucratization and professionalization with this turn to philanthropy, and these same processes have led individuals to participate in new forms of religious moral subject-making that draw on and go beyond “doing good deeds.”