Special Issue

In October, a special issue on “Between Religious Self-Cultivation and Environmentalism: Changing Meanings of Vegetarianism in Modern China,” co-edited by Nikolas Broy and Matthias Schumann, appeared in the journal Twentieth-Century China. The issue explores the evolution of religiously motivated vegetarianism in Chinese societies from the late imperial period until today, with a focus on the twentieth century. By looking at three specific cases, it traces the persistence of vegetarian concepts and practices in light of growing secularist tendencies but also shows how vegetarianism became entangled with novel discourses revolving around animal protection or environmentalism.

https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/issue/53263

Introduction to Special Issue on Religious Vegetarianism in China

Together with his co-editor Nikolas Broy, Matthias Schumann published the introduction for the special issue on “Between Religious Self-Cultivation and Environmentalism: Changing Meanings of Vegetarianism in Modern China,” which traces the different concepts and practices that were associated with vegetarianism from its earliest history down to the present day.

Abstract:

This essay introduces a special issue of Twentieth-Century China that explores the evolution of religiously motivated vegetarianism in Chinese societies from the late imperial period until today, with a focus on the twentieth century. Drawing on ancient practices of fasting and Mahāyāna Buddhist dietary rules, this vegetarianism quickly evolved into a widely accepted form of moral self-cultivation in many religious contexts, one that was intrinsically related to morality, self-actualization, notions of karma and retribution, and ritual purity. Since the late nineteenth century, the impacts of increasing transnational entanglements, new ideas, and changing food practices have subtly transformed this tradition: these transformations include an engagement with global animal protection movements in the wake of the First World War and contemporary attempts to integrate concerns about global warming, food safety, and environmentalism into the discourse. By looking at three specific cases, the special issue traces the persistence and evolution of vegetarian concepts and practices in Chinese societies from the late imperial period until today.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/tcc.2024.a938045

 

Research Article on Lü Bicheng and Chinese Vegetarianism in a Global Context

In addition, a new article by Matthias Schumann “Reasserting the Buddhist Tradition: Lü Bicheng and Chinese Vegetarianism in a Global Context” appeared in the October issue of the journal Twentieth-Century China. It is part of the special issue on “Between Religious Self-Cultivation and Environmentalism: Changing Meanings of Vegetarianism in Modern China” that Schumann has co-edited.

Abstract:

Examining the transnational activities of the famous poetess, journalist, and Pure Land Buddhist Lü Bicheng (1883–1943), this article explores how the Buddhist practices of vegetarianism and nonkilling were transformed during the early twentieth century within an increasingly globalized religious sphere. Lü traveled widely through Europe and North America, and, in her English-language writings and lectures, she presented vegetarianism and nonkilling not only as essential aspects of Buddhist practice but also as forces of social and political reform. Engaging with Buddhists and animal protection activists from around the world, she aimed to spread a more positive image of Chinese Pure Land Buddhism, which was marginalized in international discourses of the time. The activities of Lü Bicheng thereby show how Chinese Buddhists aimed to project their own ideas onto the global stage and became active voices in a global “coproduction” of Buddhist knowledge.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/tcc.2024.a938047