The chapters assembled in this volume emerged from a conference held at Leipzig University from November 29 to December 1, 2018, on the theme of "Daoism and Local Cults: Rethinking the Paradigms." It was hosted by Leipzig University Library and the Leipzig University Institute of East Asian Studies, and co-sponsored by the National Central Library (Taipei), the École Pratique des Hautes Études, and the Society for the Study of Chinese Religions.
"Daoism and Local Cults: Rethinking the Paradigms" is edited by Philip Clart, Vincent Goossaert, and Hsieh Shu-wei. The chapters aim to tackle an issue on the relationship(s) of "Daoism" and "local cults", which are extended from the following questions: What are the fundamental moral values and vision for society of "popular religion"? What types of individual practices do ordinary people undergo? What are the social formations that "do" religion? What is the affiliation of temples for local, popular gods? What is the affiliation of the local popular gods? What are the affiliations of the ritual specialists who perform rituals at the local level?
