Description
Book SynopsisWith case studies from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam, these contributions reveal contemporary religious practices in Southeast Asia as thoroughly modern manifestations of uncertainties, moral disquiet and unequal rewards in the contemporary moment.
Trade Review “This rich, articulate volume builds on and extends earlier explorations of the intricate connections between popular religious practices and modernity in the region. It offers fascinating insights into the diverse and endlessly creative transformations of Southeast Asian spirit worlds in the late 1990s and 2000s – a period of capitalist growth and widening affluence but also great social, political, and economic instability.” · Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute
“…a great volume that represents a remarkable contribution to the anthropological debate on ‘popular religion’ in contemporary Southeast Asia.” · Anthropos
“…the editors have carefully selected papers that not only present engrossing ethnographic reports but also show theoretical sophistication. We are treated to explorations of theoretical issues spanning from materiality and ontology to an anthropological critique of modernity and rationality…Overall, this volume as a whole has presented a highly spirited argument against the modernity-secularization thesis. Insights have been provided to under-explored issues in anthropological studies…This has been an enlightening read.” · Asian Anthropologist
Table of Contents List of Illustrations
Preface
Introduction: Multivocal Arenas of Modern Enchantment in Southeast Asia
Kirsten W. Endres and Andrea Lauser
Chapter 1. Can things reach the dead? The Ontological Status of Objects and the Study of Lao Buddhist Rituals for the Spirits of the Deceased
Patrice Ladwig
Chapter 2. Spirited Warriors: Conspiracy and Protection on Lombok
Kari Telle
Chapter 3. From the Mystical to the Molecular: Modernity, Martial Arts and Agency in Java
Lee Wilson
Chapter 4. Changing spirits’ Identities? Rethinking the Four Palaces’ Spirit Representations in the Context of Social and Political Changes in Northern Vietnam
Claire Chauvet
Chapter 5. Gods, Gifts, Markets, and Superstition: Spirited Consumption from Korea to Vietnam
Laurel Kendall
Chapter 6. Contests of Commemoration: Virgin War Martyrs, State Memorials, and the Invocation of the Spirit World in Contemporary Vietnam
Kirsten W. Endres and Andrea Lauser
Chapter 7. Trans-ethnic Cosmologies that Won’t Go Away: Keramat Symbolisms in Malaysian Capitalist Sacralization
Beng-Lan Goh
Chapter 8. Being a Spirit Medium in Contemporary Burma
Bénédicte Brac de la Perrière
Chapter 9. Reconfigurations of the Manora Ancestral Worship and Spirit Possession in Southern Thailand
Alexander Horstmann
Chapter 10. The Horror of the Modern: Violation, Violence, and the Rampage of Urban Youths in the Contemporary Thai Ghost Films
Pattana Kitiarsa
Notes on Contributors
Index
