[Buddha-l] CFP: Contemporary Buddhism

[jkirk]

Hello Piya--interesting ethnographic details about the meaning of
"western" in your area.

My remarks about the new journal had to do both with the location
and culture of scholars, not of ordinary citizens. I should have
added that, no doubt, the journal will publish many interesting
pieces.

Joanna
==================================


It might be helpful to distinguish between western (locational)
and westernized (habituational). I think the locational sense is
becoming less clear, or even relevant. There is so much cultural
mobility.

Most young urban Singaporean are westernized and think being a
Christian is cool. The yuppy phenomenon is still here. I am
myself the product of the last of the British colonial
educational system in Malaysia.

For most local Buddhists here, "western" means the white man. We
also have a weird local phenomenon where there are those who dye
their hair some shade of blonde. On rare occasions (of the local
is fair-skinned) he could be mistaken for "ang-mo" (a red-haired
devil = westerner).

So most local Buddhists first categorise between the white
westerner and locals. Then amongst the locals, the titled ("Dr"
of any colour is esp
respectable) and the untitled. In short, as you go higher in the
Buddhist social echelons here, the more status counts.

Thailand may hav e the lese majeste law, but much of the Buddhist
communbity here is still feudalistic too. This is to be expected
where the monks here are highly brahminized.

Piya Tan