Gods, Ghosts, and Gangsters: Ritual Violence, Martial Arts, and Masculinity on the Margins of Chinese Society

Based on fieldwork in China and Taiwan spanning nearly two decades, Gods, Ghosts, and Gangsters offers a thorough and original account of violent ritual and ritual violence in Chinese religion and society. Close-up, sensitive portrayals and the voices of ritual actors themselves-mostly working-class men, many of them members of sworn brotherhoods and gangs-convincingly link marital ritual practice to the lives and desires of men on the margins of Chinese society. This work is a significant ...