Full Description
"The world today is as furiously religious as it ever was."This quote from Peter Berger now appears to be undisputed in the contemporary social and cultural sciences. A look around the globe reveals that modernization does not necessarily lead to a decline of religion, neither in society nor in the minds of individuals. Moreover, the multifaceted and divergent responses to modernization processes have significantly contributed to a critical reflection on the notion of a singular modernity, and as a result it has been suggested to speak of multiple, vernacular, alternative, or "other" modernities. Southeast Asia in particular presents a rich field of inquiry into the dynamics of these "modernities" that have produced and shaped a wide variety of religious phenomena. With 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.
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 Benedicte Brac de la Perriere 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
