Caring for piety: doing Muslim among Hui people in contemporary China

This study examines how Hui Muslims have attempted to become pious Muslims under the influence of rapid social change and the Islamic revival in the post-Mao era, focusing on their practices of piety in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. In the post-Mao era, the Islamic revival among Hui Muslims increased through the abatement of anti-religious policies. Accordingly, rigid religious discourse became more influential among Hui Muslims during the Islamic revival, leading to emphasis on piety among Hui Muslims. However, the soucial foundation of Hui religious life has been simultaneously undermined through rapid social change, notably the decline of traditional Hui communities and intensified connections between Hui and Han Chinese in daily life. These contrasting trends made it more difficult for many Hui Muslims to maintain regular piety-oriented practices. In such a situation, Hui Muslims postpone their piety and seek religious care by establishing relationships with familiar piety-oriented Muslims, such as family members. Previous studies have focused on the practice of postponing piety. However, thestudies tended to treat piety as an “individual” attribute. Nevertheless, as mentioned above, Hui Muslim piety practices are not necessarily individualistic. Instead, they are embeded in relationships with others. Therefore, this study elucidates the modalities of piety among Hui Muslims in contemporary China.