The present research aims to provide a theory-driven reconceptualization of Mazu belief as a dynamic system of Chinese popular religion with transnational dimensions. Although scholarly interest in the topic under investigation has been expanding beyond disciplines, geography, and research methodologies, the existing theories remain inadequate and fragmented to account for the multidimensional nature of Mazu belief. With such problems in mind, this research employs a systematic literature review methodology, based on PRISMA criteria, which analyzes 80 peer-reviewed academic publications (from 2000 to 2025). As a result, the analysis reveals that Mazu belief can be explained through nine related fields including symbolic construction, ritual practice, affective experience, identity construction, transnational spread, political economy, communication networks, digital mediation, and material culture. However, when applied to the identified data, both diffusion theory and network theory prove to be unable to explain the complexity and multidimensionality of Mazu belief. As an alternative theoretical framework, this paper proposes a rhizomatic approach to the issue in question, which treats Mazu belief as a multiplicative and deterritorialized assemblage in a state of perpetual reconfiguration.
The present research aims to provide a theory-driven reconceptualization of Mazu belief as a dynamic system of Chinese popular religion with transnational dimensions. Although scholarly interest in the topic under investigation has been expanding beyond disciplines, geography, and research methodologies, the existing theories remain inadequate and fragmented to account for the multidimensional nature of Mazu belief. With such problems in mind, this research employs a systematic literature review methodology, based on PRISMA criteria, which analyzes 80 peer-reviewed academic publications (from 2000 to 2025). As a result, the analysis reveals that Mazu belief can be explained through nine related fields including symbolic construction, ritual practice, affective experience, identity construction, transnational spread, political economy, communication networks, digital mediation, and material culture. However, when applied to the identified data, both diffusion theory and network theory prove to be unable to explain the complexity and multidimensionality of Mazu belief. As an alternative theoretical framework, this paper proposes a rhizomatic approach to the issue in question, which treats Mazu belief as a multiplicative and deterritorialized assemblage in a state of perpetual reconfiguration.
