What is folk religion today? Some methodological reflections drawn from researching the Ba Chua Xu pilgrimage

Abstract

The resurgent interest in folk religion in present day Vietnam is somewhat  unexpected because it has been taking place in the context of major social and cultural transformations such as the transition to the market, social structural changes and the introduction of new technologies. Many studies published within Vietnam describe the nature of these revitalized folk  customs, beliefs and ceremonies. Yet such works often leave unexamined the relationship between folk religious forms and these new social and cultural processes. What meanings and practical roles does folk religion today  obtain for the faithful, whose lives are caught up in these changes? This article addresses such questions with reference to the pilgrimage to Ba Chua Xu in southern Vietnam. The popular meanings of this female spirit can be understood in terms of recent social history, the refiguring of spatial relationships and the growing complexity of local  society. The article also focuses on the methodologies that can be used to uncover the dynamic, spatially diffuse and complex nature of contemporary approaches to such folk religious sites. These methodologies help us to take into account the diversity of interest in folk religious symbols as foci for people from many different localities and sectors of society, caught up in the complexities of present day existence.