Religious Belonging in the East Asian Context: An Exploration of Rhizomatic Belonging

Daan Oostveen

doi:10.3390/rel10030182

Abstract

This article explores the hermeneutical challenges to understand religious belonging and religious identity in the East Asian context. In East Asia, religious identities have not always been as exclusively delineated, as is the case in Western models of religious diversity, for example in the so-called World Religions paradigm. Various theoretical frameworks are discussed in religious studies, sociology and anthropology of religion in China and East Asia, to acquire a better understanding of religious belonging. It is observed that two hermeneutical frameworks are used by scholars to discuss religious diversity: a hermeneutics of multiple religions and a hermeneutics of religiosity. The former analyses “religious belonging” as a “belonging to religious traditions”. In the latter, “religious belonging” is understood as transcending particular religious traditions. It is argued that we need to take another look at the philosophical concept of “multiplicity” to understand religious diversity and religious belonging. We can use the Deleuzian concepts of “rhizome” and “assemblage” to describe religious belongings in East Asia specifically and also religion in general. A rhizomatic thinking about religion enables us to reimagine the concept of religious belonging as rhizomatic belonging, and also, as is argued by Haiyan Lee and Mayfair Yang, make it possible to subvert power structures inherent to religion.

Highlights

In East Asia, religious identities have not historically been as clearly demarcated as in cultures which have been dominated by monotheistic religions (Yao and Zhao 2010)
I will propose rhizomatic belonging as a form of religious belonging which is suitable for the “hybrid” religious ecology which is characteristic to East Asia
If we look into the nature of religion in China and East Asia, we can question whether there exists something we could call a “belonging to Buddhism” or a “belonging to Daoism” in the same way as we immediately understand what a “belonging to Christianity” means

Summary

Introduction

In East Asia, religious identities have not historically been as clearly demarcated as in cultures which have been dominated by monotheistic religions (Yao and Zhao 2010). Whereas religious professionals in East Asia are usually conscious about religious differences, for the laity the boundaries between religious traditions in East Asia have usually been less clearly demarcated, if not in theory at least in practice. In his contribution to this special issue, Fenggang Yang explains this as follows: “[ . Though the idea of “religious belonging” does not appear evident in the Chinese setting, I believe it can clarify an important dimension of religion in general

Religious Belonging

Reimagining Religious Belonging

A Critical Approach to Religion

Findings

Conclusions