The Catholic Encounter with Chinese Thought, Society and Politics in the Ming-Qing Dynasties, The Catholic Encounter with Chinese Thought, Society and Politics in the Ming-Qing Dynasties

Research on Chinese Catholicism in the Ming and Qing dynasties has grown steadily in the last three decades, spurred by the reprint of Catholic works of that period. However, past research has focused on a limited number of works, while the works of other missionaries working in more remote areas are neglected. Additionally, the Chinese works of the Franciscan and Dominican friars in the provinces of Fujian, Shandong and Guangdong have not received enough scholarly attention; therefore, it is still difficult to evaluate how the friars adopted methods and ideas different from those of the Jesuit missionaries, besides the question of the Chinese rites. Furthermore, we do not yet have a comprehensive picture of the works of Chinese Catholics and how they further developed the inculturation of Catholicism in China. In terms of methodologies, we need also to contextualize Chinese Catholicism within the larger spectrum of Chinese thought, society and politics, as well as show not only the ways in which Catholicism has changed China, but also the ways in which China has changed Catholicism, developing ideas, texts and rituals, enculturated in Chinese society and culture. The twenty papers in this volume address the questions above. Most of them are written by a young generation of academics in mainland China, showing the vibrancy of the field of Ming-Qing Catholic studies.