[Buddha-l] forthcoming: Buddhism and Iconoclasm in East Asia : A History

[Jo]

Hi Tim,

Apparently the book (not quite published yet, priced at $120), is about
revisiting the iconoclasm idea: 
Book Description [from amazon]:
Publication Date: November 8, 2012 | ISBN-10: 1441145095 | ISBN-13:
978-1441145093 

This is a cross-cultural study of the multifaceted relations between
Buddhism, its materiality, and instances of religious violence and
destruction in East Asia, which remains a vast and still largely unexplored
field of inquiry. Material objects are extremely important not just for
Buddhist practice, but also for the conceptualization of Buddhist doctrines;
yet, Buddhism developed ambivalent attitudes towards such need for objects,
and an awareness that even the most sacred objects could be destroyed. 
After outlining Buddhist attitudes towards materiality and its
vulnerability, the authors propose a different and more inclusive definition
of iconoclasm-a notion that is normally not employed in discussions of East
Asian religions. Case studies of religious destruction in East Asia are
presented, together with a new theoretical framework drawn from semiotics
and cultural studies, to address more general issues related to cultural
value, sacredness, and destruction, in an attempt to understand instances in
which the status and the meaning of the sacred in any given culture is
questioned, contested, and ultimately denied, and how religious institutions
react to those challenges.
-------------------------

TC:
Buddhism and Iconoclasm in East Asia A History by Fabio Rambelli and Eric
Reinders

A study of Buddhism and iconoclasm in East Asia as part of a general theory
of religious destruction.
  * Imprint: Continuum
  * Pub. date: 15 Nov 2012
  * ISBN: 9781441145093

I can't speak to how relevant the work is since I haven't read it but from
the blurbs it does *not* appear to provide evidence arguing for a Buddhist
correlate to Muslim iconoclasm in India.

best,
Tim Cahill