Research On The Social Governance Function Of Folk Beliefs In Ethnic Areas During Social Transformation

With the development of Reform and Opening policy,affected by globalization and urbanization,contemporary China is involved in the period of social transformation.Rapid social transformation has caused obvious changing on people's behaviors and value systems.As the symbol of social reality and with the most extensive mass base,folk beliefs affect people's ideas most deeply.It is not only becoming more and more active,but also playing a strong social function in the process of social transformation.It has two opposite functions: the positive one is to stabilize the social order and the negative one is to break social harmony.Basing on the case of Sansui county's folk belief,this paper mainly use literature study,fieldwork and individual interview to do the research.From the perspective of social governance function,folk belief is one of the subsystems of human society,it has a dual role in the whole system of society.Anything that can ensure the normal operation of the social system and lead it to a better direction should be treated as positive function;On the contrary,those consequences that disrupt the balance of the social system and bring bad effects to the stability and development of the society are negative functions.Now,folk belief should adapt to the development of society in the transformation period.It has to adjust its self-development model to let the activities and ceremonies of folk belief in line with the national ideology.Put them in state dominating activities and help solving social problems like belief in confusion,lack of morality and impetuous occurred in the period of social transformation.It should not only be a “lubricant” to alleviate social contradictions,but also constrain and regulate behaviors of individuals to promote the construction of harmonious society.Especially in ethnic minority areas,properly use the function of folk belief can help enhancing national unity and supporting the leadership of the party and the government.On the other hand,local governments and practitioners should also clearly recognize that questions like complex members,scattered believers and frequently activities of the folk belief will easily lead to the waste of social financial resources.It may also become potential risk factors controlled by individuals or organizations with ulterior motives or foreign religions to do some harmful things to the social harmony and the economic stability.If the local government's guidance is improper,the negative effect of folk belief will show,even more than its positive function.And it will cause serious consequences to social stability and economic development.Since the freedom of religious belief restored more than thirty years ago,the folk belief in Sansui county has changed a lot.The description on the realistic picture of Sansui county's folk belief in this paper is based on the survey data getting from fieldwork.The analysis on folk belief and times value of Sansui county is based on the careful analysis of the first-hand information.At the same time,we make reflections on the local government's practices of guiding and regulating the social governance functions of folk belief.Finally,we draw the conclusion after a comprehensive analysis of the status of folk belief in Sansui county.I think that the governments and relative managers in ethnic regions should not only pay attention to the positive effects of folk belief but also to the negative effects.And they should try to develop the positive functions and avoid the negative functions of folk belief in the management practice and the concrete operation.