Chinese Religion in Malaysia

Based on long-term ethnographic study, this is the first comprehensive work on the Chinese popular religion in Malaysia. It analyses temples and communities in historical and contemporary perspective, the diversity of deities and Chinese speech groups, religious specialists and temple services, the communal significance of the Hungry Ghosts Festival, the relationship between religion and philanthropy as seen through the lens of such Chinese religious organization as shantang (benevolent halls) and Dejiao (Moral Uplifting Societies), as well as the development and transformation of Taoist Religion. Highly informative, this concise book contributes to an understanding of Chinese migration and settlement, political economy and religion, religion and identity politics as well the significance of religion to both individuals and communities.

Tan Chee-Beng, Ph.D. (Cornell University, 1979) is Distinguished Professor at Sun Yat-sen University. He has published monographs and many articles on the Chinese overseas, including Routledge Handbook of the Chinese Overseas (2013, editor) and Chinatowns around the World (Leiden: Brill, 2013, co-editor).

"After more than four decades of research, Tan proves to be the most eminent scholar in the field, very well equipped to provide his readers with thorough insights into the fundamental characteristics of Chinese popular religion. The benefits of a long-term perspective are apparent, both in specific areas such as the development of Daoism in Malaysia and in a more general sense, showing how the dynamics of Chinese related religions influence and contribute to the broader context of Malaysian identity-building."
– Gabriella Voss, University of Vienna, in Religious Studies, 46.2 (2020).