Wayward distractions : ornament, emotion, zombies, and the study of Buddhism in Thailand / Justin Thomas McDaniel.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

McDaniel, Justin, author.

Series:

Kyoto CSEAS series on Asian studies ; 24.

Kyoto CSEAS series on Asian studies ; 24

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Buddhism--Thailand.

Buddhism.

Buddhism and culture--Thailand.

Buddhism and culture.

Buddhism and art--Thailand.

Buddhism and art.

Thailand.

Genre:

Informational works

Informational works.

Physical Description:

vii, 281 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Singapore : NUS Press in association with Kyoto University Press, [2021]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

"When more than 93 per cent of the citizens of one country profess a single religion, as Thais do Buddhism, and when that religion is deeply integrated into national institutions and ideologies, it becomes tempting to think of the religion as a textual, institutional, cultural and conceptual whole. But at the same time it is obvious that expressions of Buddhism in Thailand reflect anything but a single order: they are often gaudy, cacophonous, variegated, and jumbled: almost technicolor. Diversity and apparent contradiction are everywhere. A more open engagement with Buddhism in Thailand will require a willingness to be distracted, to step away from received hierarchies and follow the intriguing detail in the ornate design, the odd textual reference, to prefer "thin description" over a search for meaning. Justin McDaniel's book-length writings in Buddhist and Theravada Studies are well known and widely cited, but his approach cannot be understood without taking into account his shorter writings, what he calls his wayward distractions. Collected together for the first time, and set in place by a compelling introduction that argues for a strongly materialist approach, these essays cover subjects ranging from ornamental art to marriage and emotion, the role of Hinduism, neglected gender and ethnic diversity, Buddhist inflections in contemporary art practice, and the boundaries between the living, the dead and the undead. These writings will be of importance to students of Theravada and Thailand, of religion in Southeast Asia and more generally, of the materialist turn in studies of religion"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Cajoleries, non-human ontology and the importance of thin description in the study of Thai Buddhist stuff

Creative engagement: The Sujavaònòna Wua Luang and its contribution to Buddhist literature

Ethnicity and the galactic polity: Ideas and actualities in the history of Bangkok

Beautifully Buddhist and betrothed: Marriage and Buddhism as described in the Jåatakas

The bird in the corner of the painting: Some problems with the use of Buddhist texts to study Buddhist ornamental art in Thailand

The material turn: An introduction to Thai sources for the study of Buddhist amulets

Strolling through temporary temples: Modern Buddhist art installations in Thailand

This Hindu holy man is a Thai Buddhist

Encountering corpses: Notes on zombies and the living dead in Buddhist Southeast Asia

Buddhist "nuns" (mae chi) and the teaching of Pali in contemporary Thailand.

Machine generated contents note: 1. Introduction: Cajoleries, Non-Human Ontology and the Importance of Thin Description in the Study of Thai Buddhist Stuff

2. Creative Engagement: The Sujavanna Wua Luang and Its Contribution to Buddhist Literature

3. Ethnicity and the Galactic Polity: Ideas and Actualities in the History of Bangkok

4. Beautifully Buddhist and Betrothed: Marriage and Buddhism as Described in the Jatakas

5. The Bird in the Corner of the Painting: Some Problems with the Use of Buddhist Texts to Study Buddhist Ornamental Art in Thailand

6. The Material Turn: An Introduction to Thai Sources for the Study of Buddhist Amulets

7. Strolling through Temporary Temples: Modern Buddhist Art Installations in Thailand

8. This Hindu Holy Man is a Thai Buddhist

9. Encountering Corpses: Notes on Zombies and the Living Dead in Buddhist Southeast Asia

10. Buddhist "Nuns" (mae chi) and the Teaching of Pali in Contemporary Thailand.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 235-261) and index.

ISBN:

9789813251502

9813251506

9784814003679

4814003676

OCLC:

1243350283