Questioning religious essentialism – Ritual change and religious instability in ancient China

Abstract

This paper challenges the recurring theme in archaeological research that places religions at the core of social identity. It investigates the theoretical literature that has influenced how archaeologists understand the study of religion and has subsequently reinforced this idea. It surveys the changing religious attitudes and ritual practices in ancient China during the first millennium BC to demonstrate their surprising instability. A model is presented where ritual is an ever-changing source of ideological tensions and religion is but one facet of social identity, not its basis. Consequently, religion is seen as naturally susceptible to both rapid and slow changes, driven by both inner social processes and external stimuli.