Religion、Subjectivity And Modern Life:the Investigation Of The Young Muslim Groups In Kunming

Since the Enlightenment, religion usually has been considered the opposite way to modernity, which means has to be separated with modern society. Nevertheless, the studies after 1970’s have demonstrated the reality is different with the imagination of modernists. Since the 1970s, the major religions in the world generally "revived", and quickly spread from traditional religion areas to other parts of the world:Islam spread to North America and Europe, Christian evangelicals to Africa and East Asia, particularly in Korea and China. In the worldwide, new religions and sects have emerged endlessly. In modern life, religion does not fade away; on the contrary, it still plays a very important role. In eyes of Robert. N. Bellah and other scholars, religion or Quasi-religious elements, even become the critical factors to construct the political order of a modern democratic society.So far, researches and related theories about the relationship between religion and modernity, whether of the reflection to traditional secularization theory, religious pluralism, or of studies of civic religion, are mostly based on the basic social background in Europe and America. China’s history, social structure, and modern experience are completely different from the West. So what’s the relationship between religion and modernity in contemporary Chinese society? How to understand the religion in the contemporary Chinese society? This study attempts to research the Muslim community in Kunming which are influenced traditionally by the religious elements largely, especially the life of modern youth groups of the Muslim community to discuss the theories above.During six months field work, the researchers observed Kunming Youth Muslim community’s daily life, religion, social contact, love and marriage and other aspects. The study shows that religion is significant for young Muslim religious groups to construct their modern life. In the background of modern secular multi-culture, value rationality shaped by religion is conducive to the development of individual subjectivity and the relationship between citizens, herefrom, it provides a possibility for the public life in modern society; At the same time, the value rationality, spiritual life and the spiritual community shaped by religion also provide a means of resources or introspection for the modernity dilemma (instrumental rationality, materialism and individual context). Therefore, in the modern secular pluralistic society, religion could play role constructing modernity and the modern life.