Chinese Journal of Sociology

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Cultural Conflicts and Acculturation of Christian Students in Middle Schools: Based on the Fieldwork of Village W, Gansu Province

Author 1: Yang Baoyan, Research Center for the Educational Development of Minorities, Northwest Normal University;Author 2: Wan Minggang, Research Center for the Educational Development of Minorities, Northwest Normal University.   

  1. Author 1: Yang Baoyan, Research Center for the Educational Development of Minorities, Northwest Normal University;Author 2: Wan Minggang, Research Center for the Educational Development of Minorities, Northwest Normal University.
  • Online:2011-07-20 Published:2011-07-20
  • Contact: Author 1: Yang Baoyan, Research Center for the Educational Development of Minorities, Northwest Normal University. E-mail:yangby2005@126.com
  • About author:Author 1: Yang Baoyan, Research Center for the Educational Development of Minorities, Northwest Normal University；Author 2: Wan Minggang, Research Center for the Educational Development of Minorities, Northwest Normal University.
  • Supported by:

    This study belongs to a preliminary achievement of 2009 “The Empirical Study on the Propagation of Christian among the Youngsters in the Northwest Rural Areas” (2009JJD880013), supported by the MOE Project of Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences in Universities of China.

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Abstract:

Based on the fieldwork of Village W, Gansu Province, where many Christians live, this paper discusses the issues in the cultural conflicts and consequential acculturation experienced by Christian students in rural middle schools as they encounter the Chinese traditional culture, Christian culture, and scientific culture in their daily life and socialization. The study has found that cultural conflicts from different religious practices are common to the Christian students. However, Chinese people’s collectivistic coping mode and the religious belief of personal relations above religious relations have helped resolving such conflicts to some extent. To middleschool Christian students, junior high school is a period of transition, that is, scientific knowledge acquired in school is gradually recognized and religious knowledge gets questioned; consequently, their religious faith is diversified.

Key words: Christian students in middle schools, cultural conflicts, acculturation