Religious Diversity with Chinese Characteristics? Meanings and Implications of the Term ‘Religious Diversity’ in Contemporary Chinese Dissertations

s ‘Religious diversity’ is a concept that has, itself, been defined and interpreted in a diversity of ways. Drawing on research conducted using content analysis of doctoral and master’s dissertations successfully defended in reputable Chinese academic institutions between 2005 and 2016, this chapter highlights some of the special features that emerged from this research in the use of the term ‘religious diversity’ in contemporary Chinese scholarship. It shows that, in comparison with Anglophone scholarship, the term ‘religious diversity’ is more often used to refer to inter-religious rather than intra-religious relations and is often discussed along with ethnic diversity in contemporary Chinese dissertations.