Description
Book SynopsisA collection of essays engaging with Buddhism in Thailand and the virtues of distraction and variety within the materialist turn in studies of religion.
In Thailand, Buddhism is deeply integrated into national institutions and ideologies, making it tempting to think of Buddhism in Thailand as a textual, institutional, cultural, and conceptual whole. At the same time, religious expression in the country reflects anything but a single order. Often gaudy, cacophonous, variegated, and jumbled, diversity and apparent contradiction abound. A more open engagement with Buddhism in Thailand requires a willingness to be distracted, to step away from received hierarchies and follow the intriguing detail in the ornate design, the odd textual reference, and to prefer "thin description" over a search for meaning. Justin McDaniel's well-known book-length writings in Buddhist and Theravada studies cannot be fully understood without taking into account his shorter writings, what he calls his wayward distractions. Collected together for the first time, 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, dead, and 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.
Trade Review“This work is a treasure for any fan of McDaniel’s outstanding work on Thailand. A selection of ten articles published between 2000 and now, this first volume shows the diversity of his work and his efforts to challenge limiting understandings of Buddhism in Thailand. . . . An extremely helpful book for beginner and experienced scholars of Thai studies and Thai Buddhism.” * The Review *
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Wayward Distractions] showcases McDaniel's diverse interests and deep knowledge of the featured Buddhist topics. McDaniel draws on his wide experiences, including teaching at a school in Thailand and time spent as an ordained monk in the northeast near the border with Laos during his fieldwork. As a result, he gained deep knowledge and insight on Thai and Lao lifeways, languages, Buddhism and its rituals (including meditation, and chanting in Pali)." * Journal of Southeast Asian Studies *
“This book presents complex topics and methods of analysis, but it does so in a storytelling style that makes it accessible to a broad range of readers—from the general reader who seeks knowledge and enjoyment and is prompted to observe or question familiar things around them, to scholars and students of Thai Buddhism, Thai literature, Thai culture, and ethnography and folklore. They will not only gain new perspectives and explanations on Thai literature and Buddhist culture but also observe the methods of study, questioning, analysis, and synthesis that come from literature review, field data collection, comparison with other cultures, leading to new interpretations and critical thinking skills.” * Southeast Asian Studies *
Table of Contents
- Introduction: Cajoleries, Non-Human Ontology and the Importance of Thin Description in the Study of Thai Buddhist Stuff
- Ethnicity and the galactic polity: Ideas and actualities in the history of Bangkok
- Creative Engagement: the Sujavanna Wua Luang and its Contribution to Buddhist Literature
- Beautifully Buddhist and Betrothed: Marriage and Buddhism as described in the Jatakas
- The Bird in the Corner of the Painting: 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
- Works Cited
