从宗教景区上市透视宗教文化资本化

旅游市场竞争日趋激烈,上市成为提升景区发展力和竞争力的重要途径。在资本前景的诱惑下,诸多宗教型景区萌发上市冲动,而引发突破社会伦理的热议。文章围绕宗教景区上市背后的宗教文化资本化的话题,以宗教社会学、马克斯·韦伯的现代性等为理论基础,从宗教存在逻辑与资本逻辑间张力角度,分析旅游语境下的宗教文化资本化现象。结论认为,包括旅游资本在内的现代资本为宗教的发展提供支撑资源,但资本的理性、世俗性与宗教的感性、神圣性间存在不可调和的张力。单纯市场化的宗教旅游发展模式会消解宗教赖以存在的根基,因此不是宗教旅游发展的最佳选择。鉴于宗教旅游的准公共物品属性,现代非营利性组织的运营模式为宗教旅游的发展提供有益借鉴。

A Perspective on Religious Cultural Capitalization through the Market Listing of Religious Tourist Attractions

With the general adoption of the market principle in most economies, listing in capital markets has become an important way to enhance the development capacity and capital competitiveness of religious tourist attractions. At the same time though, many religious sites that might not have otherwise become market commodities can be caught up in capital markets, and this situation often triggers hot debate on whether listing will positively or adversely affect local religious cultures. Based on a review of literature generated by the sociology of religion, the modernity theories of Marx Weber, and the culture industry theory of the Frankfurt School, this paper analyzes the capitalization of religious cultural assets that is becoming the essence of modem religious tourist attraction development. The paper shows that certain forms of cultural industry development promoted by mass tourism consumption are the external representation of the market listing of religious attractions. The underlying logic is that capital transfers are made from the field of material production to the field of spirit production to evade a material overproduction crisis and to seek the maximum increment in value for religious tourism assets. The development trend of integration between tourism and religion thus opens a new window of opportunity that meets community desires for the capital values of religious assets to appreciate. However, the net result of this process may be that the over-commercialization of these assets for tourism forces the secularization of communities, as mass tourism reinforces the notion that rational existence is more important than religious life. This is because the local religious culture itself becomes a commodified cultural industry resource, and the social functions of religion in the host community are then at risk of being replaced by relationships generated within the tourism industry. Nevertheless, as tourism has become the largest industry in the modem world and tourists have become more interested in the spiritual culture of host communities, it is evident that this industry offers a great platform for the protection and/or revival of religious cultural assets. In this regard, it is interesting that the tensions between tourism capital and religious logic in China appear in sharp contrast with that of the Western world. Western capitalist ethics originated from the dominant religion of that area, which even today influences the operation of capital markets. Chinese market ethics are, however, deeply rooted in Confucian culture and this, in conjunction with the systemic reforms of recent years, has meant that Chinese tourism capital operations are free of religious metaphysics. Capital markets in many different fields can thus directly assist religious attractions in China to achieve maximum returns on tourism resources. To conclude, the sustainable development of religious tourism requires that a protective barrier is set between tourism and religion. This is so that tourism capital and religious capital can operate each according to its own logic in the market, but come together in the form of religious tourist attractions. A complication here is that the quasi-public nature of religion and religious tourism means that govern- ments are unable to fully assume responsibility for this subsector, but neither can the religious tourism industry operate fully in the market. This paper suggests that the non profit organization mode that has recently been developed for the purpose of managing public utilities and public welfare activities can best meet this dual requirement. That is to say, the non profit organization mode can not only provide a modem operational framework for the development of religion themed tourism, but can also ensure that a religion is able to use the platform offered by tourism to disseminate religious culture and maintain its independence.