Materializing Yingling Personhood through Objects in the Taiwanese Ritual for Abortion and Miscarriage

This chapter explores how the personhood and imagery of yingling —spirits of aborted or miscarried fetuses—are constructed through ritual objects such as statues, tablets, divination blocks, and offerings in Taiwanese religious practice. These rituals gained prominence in the 1980s, influenced by changes in abortion laws, the loosening of state control over religion, and shifting gender roles. Drawing on Victor W. Turner’s theory of ritual symbols, the chapter emphasizes that these objects are not mere representations but active forces shaping ritual dynamics. As dominant symbols, yingling tablets and statues challenge traditional family hierarchies and occupy ambiguous spiritual roles. Their visual aesthetics elicit emotional responses and implicitly reflect Chinese cosmological views of the female body and childlike attributes, revealing underlying hierarchies and tensions. Divination blocks, as instrumental symbols, mediate communication between humans and spirits, allowing supplicants to negotiate and strategize within patrilineal family structures. Offerings—such as snacks, toys, and spirit money—serve as additional instrumental symbols, reflecting the contemporary capitalist religious market and neoliberal values surrounding childbearing. Through ritual acts and the burning of these symbolic objects, ties between the living and the dead are transformed, creating a liminal space in which familial, social, and spiritual relationships are continually renegotiated and reimagined.