The Souls of China: The Return of Religion after Mao

Ian Johnson, Pulitzer-Prize Winning Author
Moderated by Andrew J. Nathan, Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science, Columbia University

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
International Affairs Building, Room 918
No registration required.

Please join us for a discussion with Ian Jonhson on his recent book, The Souls of China: The Return of Religion after Mao. This book is the culmination of a six-year project following an underground Protestant church in Chengdu, pilgrims in Beijing, rural Daoist priests in Shanxi, and meditation groups in caves in the country’s south. In it, Mr. Johnson examines the spiritual revival taking place in China following a century of violent anti-religious campaigns. He argues that driving this explosion of faith is uncertainty–over what it means to be Chinese, and how to live an ethical life in a country that discarded traditional morality a century ago and is still searching for new guideposts.