Hui Muslims' Life Rites And Rituals In A Village

In this dissertation,the author studies Hui Muslims in Difang Town Shandong province,and probes into Hui Muslims' rites of life in the theoretical approach of Unity with Diversity,which covers a few key points,such as being born,rites of passage,marriage,funeral and folk life related aspects by deep description and analysis,and explores the Hui Muslim' persistence of Harmony but different,Integration but not assimilated religious life under the background of traditional Chinese culture,Islam and Western Cultures.The dissertation consists of three parts:introduction,text and conclusion.In the introduction,the author introduces the background and significance,theoretical framework,research methods,innovations,reviews of folk academic history of Hui Muslims' rites and rituals of fertility,passage of rites,marriage and funerals,and the interpretation of religious dialects and the use of fieldwork data collected of Difang town.The first chapter introduces the Hui Muslims in Difang town under the background of unity with diversity,describes the humanity geography and economy,probes into the Hui Muslims settling histories and surnames,as well as the analysis of local social life and economic life,public affairs in the village mosques and religious life.In the second chapter,based on the analysis of the views of fertility and rituals in Difang town,showing different Muslim names from Han Chinese,which means the pursuit of religious life for both this world and hereafter and the journey of this world life as well.In the third chapter,through the research on religious education while growing of local Hui Muslims,the author points out the importance of religious education,motivation,content and form,which affirms the excellent traditional Muslim primary schooling,and results in the promotion of cultural consciousness and health growth of Hui Muslims' youth.The fourth chapter discusses the marriage custom of Difang town from oil cake reciprocity to the concept of Hui and Han as one family.The author focuses on the record and analysis of marriage life cases,of which,through the viewing the process of marriage,discusses the functions and features of the Hui Muslims wedding.Hui people's marriage is the result of the ensemble of ideal and reality.In the fifth chapter,the funeral customs of Hui Muslims in Difang town are investigated,recorded and interpreted.First of all,the concept of the Hui Muslims'views of funeral in the dual culture is analyzed,the author also explains and describes the process of the funeral rituals,and probes into the functions and characteristics of the funeral.The sixth chapter culturally interprets the construction of unity with diversity of Hui Muslims from the perspective of life etiquette,reveals the meaning of pursuing this world and hereafter.The author analyzes and compares the boundaries and identities of Hui Muslims and Han Chinese through their common life styles,as well as the unity with diversity characteristics of Hui Muslims by the interaction of both cultures,and concludes with the understanding of meaning of cultural practice and the efforts on the localization of Islam in China.In this dissertation,the author investigates and discusses Hui Muslims' life etiquette through diachronic analysis of time,synchronic comparison of geographic space,as well as the ethnic comparison of Hui and Han,Hui and Hui.The character of unity with diversity of Hui Muslims is emphasized,which the author reemphasized that the folk life is the continuity of social and cultural phenomenon in dynamic.Hui Muslims keep their ethnic characters with the concept of harmony but different,integrated but not assimilated by implementing the wisdom of adaptation.Meanwhile,Hui Muslims keep their harmonious relations with Chinese and other ethnic minorities while exposing their culture consciousness.