Rite Makes Right—Judicial Rituals in Postwar Taiwan

The term “legal system” was transmitted from the West to China in the nineteenth century. Its “rational” nature is different from the Chinese ideology of justice, which extends to the ways in which gods control all human affairs. Such “underworld” judicial system is extremely unusual when accused of vote-buying, Taiwan’s politicians, ranging from city councilors to presidential candidates, do not hesitate to make oaths of innocence, and until recently beheaded live chickens to stress their rightness. Ordinary citizens embroiled in various financial disputes file underworld indictments against their enemies. Even policemen and prosecutors regularly make offerings at temples in order to crack tough cases.

Why does modern Taiwan still practice such judicial rituals in the context of economic growth and with legal reform? Is it due to an expansion of traditional religion in the public sphere or a representation of flaws that still existed in the legal system today?

Content
English Lectures
Speaker Paul Katz Research Fellow, Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica
Moderato Nap Yin Lau Research Fellow, Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica
Date and time：16 October Saturday, 2010 14:00 – 16:00
Venue：Yue-han Hall （110 Jin Hua Street Taipei）
Speaker：Paul Katz
Moderator：Nap Yin Lau
Venue：Yue-han Hall

Please visit this Link for more information~