Rebellion and Religious Identity: The Case of the White Lotus Uprising (1796–1804)

Abstract

Abstract:This essay considers the ways in which rebellion influenced religious identity through the exploration of a historical case study: the White Lotus Uprising in Qing China. Depositions taken from captured sectarians highlight the dynamic and contingent nature of religious identification in the context of state repression: Religious rebels articulated their commitment to their sect in response to state policy—which changed during the course of the rebellion—and in the light of their own experience. An examination of individual identification with religious sects in the context of the eighteenth-century revolt reveals that religious identity could function both as asset and as liability for adherents and further highlights the fluidity of religious identity under changing historical circumstances.摘要:這篇文章以清代白蓮教起義為案例探索暴動過程和起義者宗教身份認同之間的關係。教徒的口供顯示他们的宗教身份認同由於政府鎮壓情況的變換也有善變的特性。教門叛徒闡釋他們對教派的承諾一方面是應對起義過程中國家政策的改變，一方面也是基於他們個人的經歷。查究十八世紀起義過程中起義者的個人宗教身份認同揭示：宗教身份認同對個人追隨一個宗教團體既有利也有弊，從而進一步指出宗教身份認同在不斷變化的歷史形勢中的流動性。