Buddhist Fury

Religion and Violence in Southern Thailand
1. Auflage 2011
ISBN: 978-0-19-979324-2
Verlag: Oxford University Press

Buch, Englisch, 288 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 468 g

Advances a new theory on the nature of the conflict in southern Thailand
Offers a theory on the conditions for a Buddhist-inspired conflict
Gives in-depth accounts on the secret history of Buddhist military monks

Buddhist violence is not a well-known concept. In fact, it is generally considered an oxymoron. An image of a Buddhist monk holding a handgun or the idea of a militarized Buddhist monastery tends to stretch the imagination; yet these sights exist throughout southern Thailand.

Michael Jerryson offers an exntensive examination of one of the least known but longest-running conflicts of Southeast Asia. Part of this conflict, based primarily in Thailand's southernmost provinces, is fueled by religious divisions. Thailand's total population is over 92 percent Buddhist, but over 85 percent of the people in the southernmost provinces are Muslim. Since 2004, the Thai government has imposed martial law over the territory and combatted a grass-roots militant Malay Muslim insurgency.

Buddhist Fury reveals the Buddhist parameters of the conflict within a global context. Through fieldwork in the conflict area, Jerryson chronicles the habits of Buddhist monks in the militarized zone. Many Buddhist practices remain unchanged. Buddhist monks continue to chant, counsel the laity, and accrue merit. Yet at the same time, monks zealously advocate Buddhist nationalism, act as covert military officers, and equip themselves with guns. Buddhist Fury displays the methods by which religion alters the nature of the conflict and shows the dangers of this transformation.

Zielgruppe

Scholars, students of religion and violence, Buddhist studies, and Thai Studies

Autoren/Hrsg.

Jerryson, Michael K

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Gruppen/Soziale Themen Gewalt und Diskriminierung: Soziale Aspekte
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Dialog & Beziehungen zwischen Religionen
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Buddhismus Buddhismus: Leben & Praxis, Soziale Aspekte
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Gewalt Revolutionäre Gruppen und Bewegungen, Bewaffnete Konflikte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction
Backgrounds
Approaches to Religion and Violence
Negotiating Subjects
Ethnographic Disclosures
Chapter Overview
Language Notes
Acknowledgements
1: Histories
2: Representation
3: Practice
4: Militarization
5: Identity
Conclusion
Appendix
Bibliography

Über Autor(innen)

Michael K. Jerryson, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Eckerd College, Florida