Launch of the CBElites project website
The website of the Franco-German project CBElites – Interaction Patterns of Buddhist Elites in Contemporary China (1978–2028) is designed as a platform for presenting the project, its activities, and its results, the site also aims to become a reference resource for research on contemporary Buddhism in the Chinese world. Among the first resources made available is a bibliography of Western research on Buddhism in the sinosphere since the late 1970s (https://cbelites.com/bibliography-of-western-scholarship/). Started with about 200 references, this bibliography now gathers more than 800 publications and will continue to grow over time. The site also features a Who’s Who in Buddhist Studies, a collaborative directory of scholars working on contemporary Chinese Buddhism (https://cbelites.com/whos-who-in-buddhist-studies/). This initiative aims to facilitate exchanges within the scientific community and to provide an entry point for students and specialists in the field. These two resources are set to evolve thanks to the contributions of the community. We therefore invite all interested persons to consult the site and to send us their comments, corrections, suggestions or bibliographical additions. We hope that this platform will contribute to the development of research on contemporary Buddhism in China and foster new international collaborations.
Project presentation:
The CBElites project, with its full title "Interactions among Buddhist elites in contemporary China and modeling (1978-2028): a study of the institutionalization process, social networks, and conceptual histories" was launched in spring 2025. This is a three-year project that brings together researchers from France and Germany as part of an ANR-DFG (FRAL) funding obtained in 2024. It aims to explore how Buddhist elites have influenced the formation of the institutional and social landscape since the late 1970s in China. It examines in particular the role of eminent monks and nuns over the last fifty years in (re)building institutions, forming and maintaining networks, and discursive production.
Contact : Ji Zhe View e-mail