Historical Buddhism, Revolutionary China: Writing Buddhist History under Marxism (1940s–1960s)

This study examines the historicization of Buddhism within the Chinese Marxist framework by analyzing the writings of leftist historians from the 1940s to the mid-1960s, a period before and after the CCP’s rise to power. It investigates early encounters between Buddhism and Marxist ideology prior to the Cultural Revolution, considering how these encounters reshaped definitions, perceptions, and attitudes toward Buddhism, and how historiography was mobilized to align Buddhism with the Communist Party’s ideological and political vision. Focusing on Guo Moruo (1892–1978), Fan Wenlan (1893–1969), and Ren Jiyu (1916–2009), the study examines Marxist approaches to Buddhism’s transmission, periodization, Sinicization, and its socio-political and cultural significance in Chinese history. By situating these Marxist historical narratives within broader scholarly and Buddhist debates, the study illuminates the complexity of modern Chinese Buddhist scholarship and demonstrates the formative role these narratives played in shaping the CCP’s emerging official discourse on Buddhism