RT Article
T1 BUDDHIST BUREAUCRACY AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN THAILAND
JF Journal of law and religion
VO 33
IS 2
SP 197
OP 211
A1 Larsson, Tomas 1966-
LA English
YR 2018
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1666378496
AB In accordance with Thai conceptions of Buddhist kingship, Thai rulers have felt obliged to devote considerable energies towards the promotion and protection of Buddhism. Over the past century (and more), state laws have been instituted and bureaucratic agencies established to regulate and implement such promotional and protective activities. This article outlines some broad trends and patterns in the bureaucratization of Buddhism in Thailand, and discusses their implications for religious freedom. It argues that although Buddhism has been extensively bureaucratized, the implications for religious freedom have been less severe than one might perhaps expect, owing not least to the fact that Buddhism is a monastic religion. However, recent developments-taking place in the wake of the 2014 military coup and the 2016 royal succession-suggest that the legal environment is changing in ways that may have negative implications for religious freedom in Thailand.
K1 Buddhism
K1 Thailand
K1 Bureaucratization
K1 Religious Freedom
DO 10.1017/jlr.2018.27