Struggling for Legitimacy: Spirit-Writing and Redemptive Societies in Republican China, by Matthias Schumann (Brill, 2026)
Blog | Mhairi Montgomery, 28.5.2026
I am a few months late writing this, but I am thrilled to see that Matthias Schumann’s Struggling for Legitimacy: Spirit-Writing and Redemptive Societies in Republican China is now in print. It was truly a pleasure to work with Matthias to proofread parts of this manuscript. It’s a fascinating read, mapping the sudden explosion of popular and elite interest in the practice of spirit-writing during the Republican period. Matthias tracks the formation of two redemptive societies, the Wushanshe and the Daoyuan, arguing that these two organisations played key roles in legitimising the practice, seeking to ensure that it – and they – contributed actively to China’s renewed understanding of its own cultural, religious, and political place in the world. The book will surely be of interest to historians of religion and Sinologists, but I would recommend it even to those who are not usually in this terrain – it’s a great read and a very interesting journey.
You can find it here, or (hopefully soon) in your nearest library!:
Copyediting, proofreading, and translation services. 