The Road Less Travelled: From Landways to Seaways in the Study of Theravāda Buddhism

Although Charles Hallisey’s seminal 1995 essay is primarily concerned with the ways European colonial scholars approached Theravāda Buddhism in majority Theravāda contexts, its emphasis on two key topics—the importance of ritual and the dynamics of the “local production of meaning”—laid the foundati...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Chia, Jack Meng-Tat (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: [publisher not identified] 2021
In: Journal of global buddhism
Year: 2021, Volume: 22, Issue: 1, Pages: 211-218
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Hallisey, Charles 1953-, Roads taken and not taken in the study of Theravāda Buddhism / Asia / Malaiischer Archipel / Theravada / Religious community / Diaspora (Religion) / Buddhology / Scientific culture
IxTheo Classification:AA Study of religion
BL Buddhism
KBM Asia
Further subjects:B Singapore
B Maritime Southeast Asia
B Malaysia
B Southeast Asian Buddhism
B Indonesia
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Rights Information:CC BY-NC 4.0
Description
Summary:Although Charles Hallisey’s seminal 1995 essay is primarily concerned with the ways European colonial scholars approached Theravāda Buddhism in majority Theravāda contexts, its emphasis on two key topics—the importance of ritual and the dynamics of the “local production of meaning”—laid the foundation for a range of recent studies that explore the history and contemporary developments of Theravāda Buddhist communities in the Malay Archipelago region. This article charts how the neglected topics Hallisey urged scholars to attend to have opened new pathways for the study of Theravāda minority communities. Drawing on recent studies of Theravāda Buddhist communities in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, I discuss how Theravāda Buddhists established institutions, participated in rituals, and relied on vernacular and non-canonical texts to preserve their sense of diasporic identity and ensure the survival of Buddhism as a minority religion.
ISSN:1527-6457
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of global buddhism
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4727625