Chinese American Death Rituals Respecting the Ancestors

by Chung, Sue Fawn; Wegars, Priscilla; Abraham, Terry; Chace, Paul G.; Chung, Sue Fawn; Crowder, Linda Sun; Frampton, Fred P.; Greenwood, Roberta S.; Murphy, Timothy W.; Neizman, Reiko; Rouse, Wendy L.

• ISBN13: 9780759107335
• ISBN10: 0759107335
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-09-15
• Publisher: AltaMira Press

Summary

Death is a topic that has fascinated people for centuries. In the English-speaking world, eulogies in poetic form could be traced back to the 1640s, but gained prominence with the _graveyard school_ of poets in the eighteenth century often stressing the finality of death. Chinese American Death Rituals examines Chinese American funerary rituals and cemeteries from the late nineteenth century until the present in order to understand the importance of Chinese funerary rites and their transformation through time. The authors in this volume discuss the meaning of funerary rituals and their normative dimension and the social practices that have been influenced by tradition. Shaped by individual beliefs, customs, religion, and environment, Chinese Americans have resolved the tensions between assimilation into the mainstream culture and their strong Chinese heritage in a variety of ways. This volume expertly describes and analyzes Chinese American cultural retention and transformation in rituals after death.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii
Introduction	1	(18)
Sue Fawn Chung
Priscilla Wegars
``What We Didn't Understand'': A History of Chinese Death Ritual in China and California	19	(28)
Wendy L. Rouse
On Dying American: Cantonese Rites for Death and Ghost-Spirits in an American City	47	(34)
Paul G. Chace
Archaeological Excavations at Virginiatown's Chinese Cemeteries	19	(28)
Wendy L. Roue
On Dying American: Cantonese Rites for Death and Ghost-Spirits in an American City	47	(34)
Paul G. Chace
Archaeological Excavations at Virginiatown's Chinese Cemeteries	81	(26)
Wendy L. Rouse