Hélène’s research centers on the interpenetration of religion and economy in contemporary China. Based on ethnographic investigation and the analysis of written sources, she studies the perpetuation, transformation, and sometimes renewed importance of cult practices and Daoist ritual networks within the context of Chinese state capitalism. Her work borrows from both Social Anthropology and Sinology, with specific interest in intersecting social analysis of Chinese religious history and ethnographic approaches of late capitalism. More broadly, her research interests lie in the religious conceptions of prosperity across the world and their influence on local economies.

Drawing from extensive field research in Sichuan province (Southwest PRC), Hélène’s research deals with the extent of social and religious change induced by state-led economic policies in and around Daoist sacred places. She explores the production of new forms of religiosity emerging from economic trends. Among these are the longevity practices of lay adepts in temples at the age of massive religious commodification in China and the ritual sociality and divinatory decision-making as operated within Sichuanese business circles.

Currently, Hélène is conducting research on the various conceptions and uses of spirit money in Chinese societies. She combines ethnographic surveys with the creation of a general database of spirit bills and paper replicas of precious objects from fieldwork, museum collections and anthropological literature. This aims to contribute to a better understanding of Chinese concepts of wealth, health and prosperity as connected to ritual practice.

Hélène is also developing a new project on the use of Chinese geomancy (fengshui) among businesspeople in Sichuan. It will be based on fieldwork with professional geomancers and study of geomantic texts and technical material. As part of this research, Hélène will work on the connections between fengshui and the local religious landscape of the Sichuan basin, especially Daoist and Buddhist temples and sacred mountains.