History and the Rhetoric of Legitimacy: The Ma Tsu Cult of Taiwan
- 1 October 1988
- journal article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in Comparative Studies in Society and History
- Vol. 30 (4) , 674-697
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s0010417500015486
Abstract
Worshippers of the goddess Ma Tsu constitute Taiwan's most encompassing ritual community. The cult's close association with Taiwanese history and cultural identity is well known to Sinological anthropologists. Every year pilgrimage groups (usually organized by local territorial cults) converge on cult centers at Pei-kang, Hsin-kang, Chang-hua, Lu-kang, T'u-ch'eng, and Tainan, among others (see Figure 1). These centers compete actively for cult supremacy, and the arguments invoked in this rivalry are mainly of an historical nature. The question I explore here is, Why is history so important in establishing the authenticity and charisma of this goddess?Keywords
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