“Gods Feast on Holy Smoke, Not Tear Gas!” Religious Diffusion, Infrapolitics, and Identity Formation in Hong Kong

Abstract

This article highlights the neglected political participation of Daoism, Buddhism, and Chinese folk religions in Hong Kong in recent years, focusing on how local communities creatively engage with three deities in particular, namely Wong Tai Sin 黃大仙, Kwan Kung 關公, and Che Kung 車公. Building on C. K. Yang's classic theories of diffused religion, it demonstrates how grassroots religions are diffused with political activism in Hong Kong as an example of what the political scientist and anthropologist James C. Scott refers to as “infrapolitics.” These three iconic deities of diffused religions have most famously become protest symbols with creativity, humor, and satire, in contrast with a secular China as well as the official portrayal of the violence of the protest. The transformation of these local deities from tourist attractions to protest symbols epitomizes Hong Kong's emerging identity through the celebration of its own guardian gods and their divine protection. This creative diffusion of grassroots religions as infrapolitics is central to the protesting city's moral landscape and sense of belonging.