The Birth of New Religion:

Oriental Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences in cooperation with
Department of Philosophy and Religious studies, Charles University
invite you to a lecture on
The Birth of New Religion:
The Revival of Confucianism
in the form of a Religion
by
Na Chen 陈纳 (Fudan University)
So far, most literature on the revival of Confucianism in China belongs to research on Ruxue
and Rujia. In the literature that can be ranked as research on Rujiao, there are case studies on
various topics. This is a lecture based on an ethnography of an emerging religious group –
Confucian Congregation ( 儒家道坛) – in Fujian Province, Southeast China. By examining the
history, beliefs, rituals, organization and development strategy of Confucian Congregation, this
lecture will shed light on the structure of China’s religious culture and the on-going religion
revival movement in China.
Na CHEN 陈纳 received his academic degrees from Temple University and University of Pennsylvania in the U.S.
and Peking University in China. Over the last ten years Dr. Chen has taught at Shanghai Normal University, Fudan
University in China, and Wabash College in the U.S. Currently he is a research fellow at the Center for Social
Development, Fudan University, and research associate at the School of International Relations and Pacific
Studies, University of California at San Diego. His recent research includes an ethnographic study of the
“Confucian Congregation” in Southeast China, the current revival of Confucianism and the reconstruction of
Chinese identity, and the case study of clientelism as a guanxi tradition in an East China rural community.
When: Monday, 30 March, 2015, 10:50-12:20
Where: Charles University, Celetna 20, room 118