Taiwan’s Temple Culture

Catalog description

This course examines the vibrant religious world of Taiwan, offering students a vicarious encounter with the island’s spectacular temple culture—replete with ritual processions, spirit mediums, dancing lions, burning incense, sacred statues, and booming fireworks. Built on the instructor’s own fieldwork, the course features original ethnographic film and photography as its centerpiece, providing a rich multimedia experience in each class period. In the first part of the course, students receive a comprehensive introduction to Taiwan’s living temple culture, examining its primary symbols and structures, the ritual dynamics of spirit possession, and the central relationship between Daoism and popular religion. The second part continues to take ritual performance as its focal point, exploring how traditions developed over Taiwan’s history, with particular emphasis on the rapid changes of the twentieth century. The course concludes by returning to contemporary Taiwan, where students take a close look at the cultic practices and large-scale festivals of the island’s most prominent deities, including Mazu, goddess of the sea; Nezha, the Third Prince; and the Royal Lords. When available, students may also enroll in an optional Study Tour, which offers an opportunity to travel to Taiwan and experience its temple culture firsthand.