Despite Taiwan's rise as an economic force in the world, modernity
has not led to a Weberian process of disenchantment or curbed
religiosity. To the contrary, other factors--social, economic,
political--have stimulated religion. How and why this has happened
are central issues in this book.
One part of Taiwan's flourishing religious culture is the
elaborate and colorful procession of local gods accompanied by
troupes of musicians and dancers. Among them are performers with
outlandishly painted faces portraying underworld generals who serve
the gods and punish the living. Through their performances, these
troupes claim to exorcise harmful forces from the community.
In conducting fieldwork among these troupes, Donald Sutton
confronted their claims to a long history--when all evidence
indicated that the troupes had been insignificant until the
1970s--and their assertions of devotion to tradition given the
diversity of performances. Concentrating on the stylistic
variations in performances, the author describes the troupes as
organizations shaped by the "market forces" of supply and demand in
the culture of religious festivals. By focusing on performances as
the nexus of market and art, he shows how bodily performance is the
site where religious statements are made and the power of the gods
made visible.
General
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