Popular Religion in Southeast Asia

Popular Religion in Southeast Asia

Author: Robert L. Winzeler

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2015-12-17

Total Pages: 323

ISBN-13: 0759124418

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In this overview of popular religion in Southeast Asia, Robert L. Winzeler offers an interpretative look at the nature of today’s indigenous religious traditions as well as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity and conversion. He focuses not on religion as it exists in books, doctrine, theology, and among elites and dominant institutions but rather in the lives, beliefs, and practices of ordinary people. Popular Religion in Southeast Asia employs a broad view of religion as involving not just the usual Western notions of faith but also supernatural belief in general, magic, sorcery, and practical concerns such as healing, personal protection, and success in business. Case studies and concrete examples flesh out the discussion, demonstrating how popular religion relates to historical and contemporary social, cultural, political, and economic developments in the region.


Religion and Nationalism in Southeast Asia

Religion and Nationalism in Southeast Asia

Author: Joseph Chinyong Liow

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2016-08-19

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781316618097

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Religion and nationalism are two of the most potent and enduring forces that have shaped the modern world. Yet, there has been little systematic study of how these two forces have interacted to provide powerful impetus for mobilization in Southeast Asia, a region where religious identities are as strong as nationalist impulses. At the heart of many religious conflicts in Southeast Asia lies competing conceptions of nation and nationhood, identity and belonging, and loyalty and legitimacy. In this accessible and timely study, Joseph Liow examines the ways in which religious identity nourishes collective consciousness of a people who see themselves as a nation, perhaps even as a constituent part of a nation, but anchored in shared faith. Drawing on case studies from across the region, Liow argues that this serves both as a vital element of identity and a means through which issues of rights and legitimacy are understood.


Religious Diversity in Southeast Asia and the Pacific

Religious Diversity in Southeast Asia and the Pacific

Author: Gary D. Bouma

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2009-12-04

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 9048133890

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Religious diversity is now a social fact in most countries of the world. While reports of the impact of religious diversity on Europe and North America are reasonably well-known, the ways in which Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific are religiously diverse and the ways this diversity has been managed are not. This book addresses this lack of information about one of the largest and most diverse regions of the world. It describes the religious diversity of 27 nations, as large and complex as Indonesia and as small as Tuvalu, outlining the current issues and the basic policy approaches to religious diversity. Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands are portrayed as a living laboratory of various religious blends, with a wide variance of histories and many different approaches to managing religious diversity. While interesting in their own right, a study of these nations provides a wealth of case studies of diversity management – most of them stories of success and inclusion.


Animism in Southeast Asia

Animism in Southeast Asia

Author: Kaj Arhem

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-11-19

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13: 1317336623

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Animism refers to ontologies or worldviews which assign agency and personhood to human and non-human beings alike. Recent years have seen a revival of this concept in anthropology, where it is now discussed as an alternative to modern-Western naturalistic notions of human-environment relations. Based on original fieldwork, this book presents a number of case studies of animism from insular and peninsular Southeast Asia and offers a comprehensive overview of the phenomenon – its diversity and underlying commonalities and its resilience in the face of powerful forces of change. Critically engaging with the current standard notion of animism, based on hunter-gatherer and horticulturalist societies in other regions, it examines the roles of life forces, souls and spirits in local cosmologies and indigenous religion. It proposes an expansion of the concept to societies featuring mixed farming, sacrifice and hierarchy and explores the question of how non-human agents are created through acts of attention and communication, touching upon the relationship between animist ontologies, world religion, and the state. Shedding new light on Southeast Asian religious ethnographic research, the book is a significant contribution to anthropological theory and the revitalization of the concept of animism in the humanities and social sciences.


Spirited Politics

Spirited Politics

Author: Kenneth M. George

Publisher: SEAP Publications

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 9780877277378

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Introduction : Religion, the nation, and the predicaments of public life in Southeast Asia / Kenneth M. George and Andrew C. Willford -- The priestess and the politician : enunciating Filipino cultural nationalism through Mt. Banahaw / Smita Lahiri -- The modernist vision from below : Malaysian Hinduism and the "way of prayers" / Andrew C. Willford -- Fraudulent and dangerous popular religiosity in the public sphere : moral campaigns to prohibit, reform, and demystify Thai spirit mediums / Erick White -- Islam and gender politics in late New Order Indonesia / Suzanne Brenner -- A sixth religion? : Confucianism and the negotiation of Indonesian-Chinese identity under the Pancasila state / Andrew J. Abalahin -- Relocating reciprocity : politics and the transformation of Thai funerals / Thamora Fishel -- Immaterial culture : "idolatry" in the lowland Philippines / Fenella Cannell -- Picturing Aceh : violence, religion, and a painter's tale / Kenneth M. George.


Culture, Religion and Conflict in Muslim Southeast Asia

Culture, Religion and Conflict in Muslim Southeast Asia

Author: Joseph A. Camilleri

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 0415625262

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By examining the sometimes surprising and unexpected roles that culture and religion have played in mitigating or exacerbating conflicts, this book explores the cultural repertoires from which Southeast Asian political actors have drawn to negotiate the pluralism that has so long been characteristic of the region. Focusing on the dynamics of identity politics and the range of responses to the socio-political challenges of religious and ethnic pluralism, the authors assembled in this book illuminate the principal regional discourses that attempt to make sense of conflict and tensions. They examine local notions of "dialogue," "reconciliation," "civility" and "conflict resolution" and show how varying interpretations of these terms have informed the responses of different social actors across Southeast Asia to the challenges of conflict, culture and religion. The book demonstrates how stumbling blocks to dialogue and reconciliation can and have been overcome in different parts of Southeast Asia and identifies a range of actors who might be well placed to make useful contributions, propose remedies, and initiate action towards negotiating the region's pluralism. This book provides a much needed regional and comparative analysis that makes a significant contribution to a better understanding of the interfaces between region and politics in Southeast Asia.


Everyday Life in Southeast Asia

Everyday Life in Southeast Asia

Author: Kathleen M. Adams

Publisher: Indiana University Press

Published: 2011-07-18

Total Pages: 381

ISBN-13: 0253223210

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This lively survey of the peoples, cultures, and societies of Southeast Asia introduces a region of tremendous geographic, linguistic, historical, and religious diversity. Encompassing both mainland and island countries, these engaging essays describe personhood and identity, family and household organization, nation-states, religion, popular culture and the arts, the legacies of war and recovery, globalization, and the environment. Throughout, the focus is on the daily lives and experiences of ordinary people. Most of the essays are original to this volume, while a few are widely taught classics. All were chosen for their timeliness and interest, and are ideally suited for the classroom.


Christianity in Southeast Asia

Christianity in Southeast Asia

Author: Robbie B. H. Goh

Publisher: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 96

ISBN-13: 9789812302977

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This book briefly recounts the history of the establishment and expansion of Christianity during the colonial and post-colonial eras. With the exception of the Philippines, Christianity has been a minor religion in much of Southeast Asia, albeit one whose followers have sometimes played key roles in developing education and social services. Although statistically small, evangelical Christian groups in particular are trying to increase membership and influence, which may have adverse reactions in the countries whose populations are adherents of other major world faiths.


The Oxford Handbook of Christianity in Asia

The Oxford Handbook of Christianity in Asia

Author: Felix Wilfred

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 685

ISBN-13: 0199329060

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Named by the International Bulletin of Missionary Studies as an Outstanding Book of 2014 for Mission Studies Despite the ongoing global expansion of Christianity, there remains a lack of comprehensive scholarship on its development in Asia. This volume fills the gap by exploring the world of Asian Christianity and its manifold expressions, including worship, theology, spirituality, inter-religious relations, interventions in society, and mission. The contributors, from over twenty countries, deconstruct many of the widespread misconceptions and interpretations of Christianity in Asia. They analyze how the growth of Christian beliefs throughout the continent is linked with the socio-political and cultural processes of colonization, decolonization, modernization, democratization, identity construction of social groups, and various social movements. With a particular focus on inter-religious encounters and emerging theological and spiritual paradigms, the volume provides alternative frames for understanding the phenomenon of conversion and studies how the scriptures of other religious traditions are used in the practice of Christianity within Asia.


Religion in Southeast Asia

Religion in Southeast Asia

Author: Jesudas M. Athyal

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2015-03-10

Total Pages: 643

ISBN-13:

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This engaging encyclopedia covers the religions and religious traditions of various Southeast Asian countries, including Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. In this unprecedented profile of the religions of Southeast Asia, scholars from around the world explore the faiths, spiritual practices, and theological dogmas of the region. The book contains a fascinating collection of accurate, detailed articles; informative sidebars; and an extensive list of reference materials, all of which uncover beliefs in that part of the world. Discussions of ancient religions, combined with a look at contemporary trends, feature topics such as religious fundamentalism, secularism, and globalization. Through 150 alphabetically arranged entries, this encyclopedia investigates the religions and religious traditions of countries such as Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, and the Philippines, among others. Written in an accessible style, this comprehensive reference looks at a variety of belief systems, including Buddhism, Confucianism, tribal practices, Hinduism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism. A selected, general bibliography offers a listing of the most important print and electronic resources on the topic.