The Discourse on the Marxist Study of Religion in the New Era in the PRC: An Outsider’s Perspective

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Basically I find the article interesting, relevant and quite well-written. However, there are some issues that need to be addressed. The author claims a Critical Discourse Analysis approach, and explains that well, but then we do not hear anything more about it throughout the article. No reference at all to CDA in the rest of the text. Also, the author would need to explain much clearer how the five scholars discussed were selected, as there are quite a number of scholars to choose from. Then there are some minor issues like calling the 中共宣传部 "Ministry of Propaganda" when it is a Department of Propaganda within the party. Please check formal titles of all associations etc, and also web links in references where some seem to be broken.

Author Response

Thank you very much for taking the time to review this manuscript. Please find the detailed responses below and the corresponding revisions highlighted in the re-submitted files.

Comment 1: The author claims a Critical Discourse Analysis approach, and explains that well, but then we do not hear anything more about it throughout the article. No reference at all to CDA in the rest of the text

Response 1: I changed to the author applying discourse analysis since I used a different tool from discourse analysis to describe the Chinese situation. In later passages of the paper, I referred to other discourse analysis theories and works.

Comment 2: Also, the author would need to explain much clearer how the five scholars discussed were selected, as there are quite a number of scholars to choose from. 

Response 2: Thank you. I changed that: The scholars belong to the discursive scholarly/official elite, engaging actively with the official discourse and supporting the decision-making process of the party and the government. Furthermore, I have chosen these representatives because they reference each other.

Comment 3: Then there are some minor issues like calling the 中共宣传部 "Ministry of Propaganda" when it is a Department of Propaganda within the party. Please check formal titles of all associations etc,

Response: Thank you! I corrected and checked.

Comment 4:  and also web links in references where some seem to be broken

Response 4: I deleted the unaccessible weblink (I only found one, and it was not essential)

Comment 5: Section 1.1 description of results and interpretation + subheadings

Response 5: I did that now and also wrote a short summary for that part.

All the best!

 

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This article provides a detailed analysis of the discourse on the Marxist study of religion in the context of the PRC. It contributes to understanding this discourse within the changing political landscape of the Xi era. It surveys in detail the discussions among scholars from Mainland China regarding how they have attempted to frame/theorize the discourse on religious studies and atheism in relation to the shifting politics of the New Era.

One comment is that when the research grants in religious studies are mentioned (on page 12), I am not sure whether there could be a relevant (perhaps brief) descriptive discussion on those grants funded by the government, regardless of whether information about these grants has been disclosed to the public like other grants. This may help readers understand the uniqueness, if any, of knowledge production in this field in the PRC context.

Author Response

Thank you very much for taking the time to review this manuscript. Please find the detailed responses below and the corresponding revisions highlighted in the re-submitted files.

Comment 1: One comment is that when the research grants in religious studies are mentioned (on page 12), I am not sure whether there could be a relevant (perhaps brief) descriptive discussion on those grants funded by the government, regardless of whether information about these grants has been disclosed to the public like other grants. This may help readers understand the uniqueness, if any, of knowledge production in this field in the PRC context.

Response 1: Thank you. I added a footnote and a reference. I hope it is helpful. Footnote 20: Special major research programs represent the highest tier. Their primary aim is to serve the decision-making needs of the Party and the government. On the other hand, Chinese higher education must join the highly competitive internationalization process, especially by publishing in high-ranking journals in and outside China and successfully applying for research projects provided by the National Social Science Fund of China Program (NSSFC) (Pringle and Woodman 2022).

Commet 2 (in the Text): section 2.2 divide it into subheadings and summary of the results of that passage

Response 2: I added subheadings and a short summary for 2.2

All the best!

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Revisions are ok, I recommend it for publishing.