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The Concept of Fate in Chinese Folk Ideology
Abstract
Fate was an important concept in traditional Chinese folk culture, and in the culture of the elite. This much is uncontroversial. But what the concept was about, what it meant and how it related to class hegemony, is a matter open to dispute. The relationship of any folk ideology to the hegemonic ideology of the society is a complex one. We can perhaps best conceive this relationship as a compound of two ideal types. In the first the folk ideology is an earthy version of an elite myth, a kind of Marxian people's opiate that disguises the real nature of hegemonic relations. If the peasants believe that suffering in this world is but a prelude to glory in the next, that the Tsar really loves them but corrupt officials prevent his devotion from being realized, that landlords have a right to rents because, after all, they are supplying the land in fair exchange for the peasants' labor, folk ideology is acting in this way: It is reinforcing the hegemonic effect of the elite ideology, even when it does not actually duplicate that ideology.
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“This allows people to test their luck, always hoping that it will change even if they are suffering. This gives people hope, and prevents ideas of destiny from being accepted fatalistically (Harrell 1987, 100).”
From Chinese popular religion and Hong Kong identity (2015) · cites this paper as Harrell 1987
In the citing paper
“The character ming means both life and fate and is widely used among Chinese to explain good and bad luck (see Harrell 1987).”
From Chinese popular religion and Hong Kong identity (2015) · cites this paper as Harrell 1987
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Metadata
- Authors
- Harrell, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Washington (US)
- Corresponding author
- Harrell, Stevan
- ORCID
- Harrell, Stevan
- Venue
- Modern China
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 1987-01
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 90-109
- ISSN
- 0097-7004 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-6836
- OpenAlex
- W2068481044
- Cited by
- 82
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Modern China (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History › Chinese history and philosophy
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › General Arts and Humanities › Cultural and Mythological Studies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Marxism and Critical Theory
- Keywords
- fate, class hegemony, elite ideology, folk beliefs, peasant suffering, Marxist theory of ideology, Chinese traditional culture, landlord-tenant relations, ideal types
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