Purgation of soul and body : a study on Chinese religious purification in Singapore

• Main Author: Cho, Charis
• Other Authors: Michael Stanley-Baker
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2022
• Subjects: Humanities::History
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/155814
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The topic of Chinese religious purification relates to issues in the field of religious and gender studies that include cultural constructions of gender, discipline, and women’s place in Singapore’s contemporary Chinese religious community, agency, and self-expression. This paper addresses three main questions: what were the impacts of Chinese intellectual traditions on gendered socio-religious relations, how did Chinese puritanism shape Chinese religious practices, and where were Chinese laywomen situated in the realm of Chinese religiosity. The study reveals how fasting (zhaijie 斋戒) counteracts instructive Chinese religious traditions informed by the notion of purity and has provided Chinese laywomen with a creative, albeit limited, space for negotiation. Additionally, this paper contributes to the discussion about syncretic Chinese religion’s ability to accommodate changing gender norms without altering the core values of the Chinese faith.