A Spirit Map of Bangkok: Spirit Shrines and the City in Thailand
As many scholars of Thai Buddhism have shown, Thailand's religious sphere incorporates animist and Brahminist elements into a new fusion. But this religious system is not seamless, rather it rests upon internal contradiction and division, between upper and lower class, rural and urban. Alongsid...
Autore principale: | |
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Tipo di documento: | Elettronico Articolo |
Lingua: | Inglese |
Verificare la disponibilità: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Pubblicazione: |
Equinox Publ.
[2015]
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In: |
Journal for the academic study of religion
Anno: 2015, Volume: 28, Fascicolo: 3, Pagine: 293-308 |
(sequenze di) soggetti normati: | B
Bangkok
/ Buddhismo <motivo>
/ Jinja
/ Pensiero magico
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Notazioni IxTheo: | AG Vita religiosa BL Buddhismo KBM Asia |
Altre parole chiave: | B
the city
B Spirits B Urban Religion B Shrines B Mediumship B PILGRIMS & pilgrimages B Social aspects B Thailand B BANGKOK (Thailand) B Buddhism B Religione B Hybridity B Cults |
Accesso online: |
Volltext (doi) |
Riepilogo: | As many scholars of Thai Buddhism have shown, Thailand's religious sphere incorporates animist and Brahminist elements into a new fusion. But this religious system is not seamless, rather it rests upon internal contradiction and division, between upper and lower class, rural and urban. Alongside the official spirit shrines devoted to the Thai state and the continued progress and expansion of the city, via an analysis of urban spirit cults, I address the unexpected irruption of nature, death, and accident into the planned urban cityscape. Here, I examine one nocturnal pilgrimage by a spirit medium and her devotees across Bangkok's spiritual cityscape. I ask what this 'spirit map' of Bangkok opens up for analysis in the context of those areas of Bangkok swallowed up by its continuous expansion, and address the nature of urban religious aspirations for her and her spirit's devotees. Ultimately, drawing from Bhabha's idea of hybridity, I argue that this medium's Bangkok presents a challenge to established hierarchies of power, a challenge that focuses on the unusual (e.g. accident sites) as evidence for the appearance of the transcendent. |
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ISSN: | 2047-7058 |
Comprende: | Enthalten in: Journal for the academic study of religion
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1558/jasr.v28i3.28434 |