The Catholic Encounter with Chinese Thought, Society and Politics in the Ming–Qing Dynasties

Dear Colleagues,

Research on Chinese Catholicism in the Ming and Qing dynasties has grown steadily in the last three decades, spurred by the reprint of Catholic works of that period. Yet, the present research focuses on a limited number of works, especially by famous missionaries such as Matteo Ricci, Giulio Aleni, Ferdinand Verbiest or Adam Schall, while the works of other missionaries working in more remote areas are neglected. Additionally, the Chinese works of the Franciscan and Dominican friars in the provinces of Fujian, Shandong and Guangdong have not received enough scholarly attention; therefore, it is still difficult to evaluate how the friars adopted methods and ideas different from the ones of the Jesuit missionaries besides the question of the Chinese rites. Furthermore, we do not yet have a comprehensive picture of the works of Chinese Catholics and how they further developed the inculturation of Catholicism in China.

Besides the printed Chinese works, a great deal of Western manuscripts (letters, reports, etc.) are worthy of scholarly research. Those documents are written in Latin, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian or French, and they are held in the archives of Rome, Paris, Madrid, etc. They contain important information often left out from the printed works, such as the inner conflicts among the members of a missionary group, or information about local Christian communities. This material may help us to gain a more refined understanding about the evolution of the Chinese communities at that time.

In terms of methodologies, we need to contextualize Chinese Catholicism within the larger spectrum of Chinese thought, society and politics, and show in which ways Catholicism has changed China, but also in which ways China has changed Catholicism, developing ideas, texts and rituals, enculturated in Chinese society and culture.

This Special Issue does not include the Late Qing (after the Opium wars) dynasty which shaped a new mode of presence of Catholicism under the colonial power.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Papers should be original contributions, not previously published in another language nor under consideration in another journal.

Please send them to the Guest Editor, Prof. Thierry Meynard (meiqianl@mail.sysu.edu.cn), who will review them for the purpose of ensuring it properly fits within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Thierry Meynard
Guest Editor

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