Navigating Ritual Resilience: The Interplay of Change and Continuity in the Shaolin Monastery During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The global upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic introduced considerable perturbations to the religious life and ritual observances within most religious communities around the world. This article delves into the resilience and adaptability of ritual practices within the Shaolin Monastery of China during the five-month COVID-19 quarantine spanning from 23 January to 22 June, 2020. Employing ethnographic methods and grounded in anthropological theory, the study examines the interplay between ritual as a static social fact and as a dynamic, adaptable process, within the context of the Shaolin monastic life. It underlines the intricate interplay between static and dynamic elements in ritual practice, casting light on the Shaolin community’s response to the pandemic. The study discerns dichotomies responsible for the critical forces underlying complex dynamics intrinsic to the Shaolin community’s religious life, namely: religious–secular, isolation–social engagement, discipline–freedom, tradition–innovation, and individual–collective. Tracking the evolutions and consistencies within these dual relationships enabled casting light on the transformative processes that were set in motion and identifying the elements of the religious life that have undergone change and those that have remained constant. This exploration offers a unique glimpse into the mechanisms through which resilience was enacted with the strategies that enabled the community to maintain, adjust and innovate its ritual practices amidst the tribulations presented by the crisis.