This dissertation draws attention to the religious lives of Ming eunuchs, who, despite their active engagement in religious activities during the late Ming era, have been largely overshadowed by scholarly emphasis on their political functions in the dynasty. Informed by the turn toward lived religion within the broader field of Religious Studies, my dissertation seeks to understand the multiple and overlapping ways that most people in late Ming China experience religion. The research begins by focusing on events within the imperial palace and analyzes the everyday routines, rituals and responsibilities of palace eunuchs. Subsequent chapters delve into specific realms of practice. Chapters move from eunuchs’ practices within the court, to the vernacular religion of calendrical festivals in Beijing, to their participation in pilgrimages to worship the Goddess of Mount Tai, and finally to engagement with Buddhist institutions. To foreground eunuchs’ experience, my method has been to prioritize the evidence closest to the eunuchs themselves, which is limited, and then flesh it out through juxtaposition with other texts, including gazetteers, miscellaneous notes, travel diaries, and other historical writing. The findings illuminate the central role religion played in shaping the eunuchs’ identity, serving as both a medium for their self-expression and a cornerstone for community bonding.
Pan, Sherry,
"Forms of Practice: Religiosity of Palace Eunuchs during the Late Ming (1527-1644)"
(2023).
Religious Studies Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.26300/vthe-0f46
