Buddhism and Postmodern Imaginings in Thailand

Dr J.L.Taylor, author of Forest Monks and the Nation-State (1993) is a Senior Lecturer in Anthropology at the School of Social Sciences, University of Adelaide, Australia. His research and work experiences are in critical theory and practice of planned culture change and the transformation of rural society, the development discourse and anthropology, ethno-ecology, and Thai Buddhism.

• Contents: Thai Buddhism in postmodernity; Buddhist modernities, heresy and hybridization: Thailand's Thammakaai movement; New Buddhism: copying, and the art of the imagination; Buddhist cyber-worlds and changing urban space; Nation, embodiment, and the charisma of a Thai saint; Kammathaan monks, tradition and sites of memory; Sanctification of place, power and mobility; Conclusion/beginning; Bibliography; Index.

This book is a valuable contribution to the field of Thai Studies and the study of modern Buddhism; offering new perspectives on fascinating phenomena in Thai society. The six case studies in this book allow the reader to gain interesting insights into Thai Theravada in the context of globalization. Dr Martin Seeger, East Asian Studies, University of Leeds, UK ’This book presents a significant rethinking of the ever-changing landscapes of Thai metropolis Buddhism. ... [It] must be counted as a pioneering volume in the postmodern studies of Theravada Buddhism, as much as a notable contribution to anthropology/sociology of post-metropolis religion. As such, it will interest students and scholars across disciplines and area studies, such as cultural anthropology, religious studies, sociology of religion, and Southeast Asian studies.’ Anthropological Forum '[This] book contains a wealth of useful and stimulating information, and will appeal to anthropologists and religious studies specialists interested in Thailand and Southeast Asia, urban religion, religious commodification, and the Buddhist forest tradition. It will also be valuable for those generally interested in attempts to theorize outside of the conventional area studies milieu.' Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 'A reader interested in the issues of modernity and its influence on a contemporary Asian culture will find this timely book of interest. Others interested in issues of space (urban and village), nostalgia, politics, and the human body will also profit from this study.' Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture