Commemorating heroes and martyrs in a Chinese elementary school: An exploration of the Qingming Sacrificial Ritual from the perspective of educational anthropology

Abstract

Ritual is a classic research topic in anthropology. This study focuses on the Qingming Sacrificial Ritual in a primary school located in Beijing, China, under the theoretical framework of German educational anthropology. This empirical research is conducted under focused ethnography and documentary method. The Qingming Sacrificial Ritual is a modern expression of ancient Chinese sacrificial rituals，which originated from ancient Chinese sacrificial culture which is traditional ethical culture centered on filial piety in traditional Chinese Confucianism. Through the lens of Qingming Sacrificial Ritual, this research shows Chinese history, culture, society and school education to German and European readers on a more multi-perspective basis. As this dissertation focuses on Qingming Sacrificial Ritual in a Chinese primary school, a model of Chinese school ritual practice is also constructed through an in-depth description and analysis of the preparation, organization and performance of ritual, revealing the key factors that influence the formation of Chinese school ritual, including educational policies, educational system, school culture etc. It also provides international readers with basic understanding of elementary education in China. From methodology perspective, a policy logic analysis model of ritual research is proposed, developing a new analytical perspective for international ritual research. The focus on “ritual expert” offers a new direction of informant for researchers who want to gain a deeper understanding of Chinese school rituals through ethnography and fieldwork, providing a new direction for data collection.