| The thesis is about how the Hui Muslims in southwest Shandong province interpret and practice "qingzhen" and "Islam". Qingzhen is the term used by the Hui in China to refer to behavior and practices that conform to the teaching of Islam or their perception of the religion. The thesis also discusses how some new ideas of "religion" develop. In the author's opinion, to understand religious life and religious change, we need to explore how people present all the related practices and how these interact with other relevant factors. The thesis examines the fabrication of " qingzhen", that is, the interpretation, construction and practice of it, among the local people. The interaction of the materialized images of "religion" with collective construction is described. The discussion shows the perception and imagination with regards to their "religion" among the various groups of the local Hui people. The interplay of historical memory, changes of ritual, local politics, economic activities and the production of "mixin" (superstition) in the fabrication process is described. In the conclusion the dissertation highlights that the various concepts, practices and changes involved in "qingzhen" and "Islam" are shaped by people's subjectivity and the logic of regional culture. In this sense, "religion" is not a set of concepts or social organization, nor a collection of rituals or politics among religious leaders and local elite, but rather it is a product of social imagination. |
