Mapping Old and New Geographies of Religion in China and Tibet

The Pacific Basin Institute presents a talk by Karl Ryavec on recent findings from field research and GIS databases on the geography of religion in Tibet and China.

Lecture by Karl Ryavec

Traditionally scholars have considered Chinese religions to comprise Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. Research over the past several decades, however, has shown that Christianity and Islam are also important religions in China with their own complex histories and places. Increased interest in Environmental History has also shown that the diffusions and growths of different religious traditions are conditioned by space and time in relation to economies and cannot be neatly reconciled with long held views about the power and patronage of empires and dynasties. This talk presents recent findings from field research and GIS databases on the geography of religion in Tibet and China.