| 英文摘要 |
This research investigates the mobilization patterns, processes, and impacts of“tours of inspection”by Chinese deities in Taiwan. This paper argues that China’s cross-Strait religious united front work is constrained by the weak institutional positions of ancestral temples in both societies. On the one hand, these tours are exogenous to Taiwanese religious practices and dependent on the network relations of host temples. As a result, each tour constitutes an ad hoc cross-strait religious event whose temporality gives rise to uncertain outcomes. On the other hand, intermediaries lacking religious legitimacy regularly fail to communicate expectations and demands between the two sides. The resulting discontent limits the mobilizing capacities of Chinese ancestral temples within Taiwan’s religious community. |