... for going beyond national boundaries and transcend various forms of parochialism in their social scientific endeavor. secularization religious market religious oligopoly mass conversion pluralism Since the beginning of the discipline of sociology, sociologists have studied religion as an important...

...This chapter introduces four types of state-religion relations in human history – religious monopoly, pluralism, oligopoly, and a total ban. It argues that religious oligopoly is the most common practice in the world today and applies that understanding to the situation in China. The chapter...

...Empirical evidence shows that the most common type of religion-state relations in the world today is neither religious pluralism nor religious monopoly, but religious oligopoly, where not a single one but a selected few religions are sanctioned by the state. The concluding Chapter Seven argues...

... articulates the triple religious market model in a shortage economy of religion under heavy regulation, which is very much a demand-driven economy of religion. Moreover, China is only one case of religious oligopoly, where a selected few religions are sanctioned by the state. Oligopoly is the most common type...