Conference theme.

"Buddhism and the spirit cult" is a classic topic in the anthropological study of Theravada Buddhist societies. However, our knowledge of Burmese religion and society is still limited, due to the fact that Burma (Myanmar) has been inaccessible to foreign scholars since the military takeover in 1962. Furthermore, the renewed manifestations of Buddhism and spirit possession we find in Burma today raise a number of questions for our understanding of religion. As Burma slowly opens its door to face the rapidly globalizing world, this symposium seeks to revisit Buddhism and spirit possession, to re-examine old themes and explore new trends.

The two-day interdisciplinary symposium attempts to situate the various issues of religion in Burma in larger historical, cultural, and Buddhist contexts. In particular we will discuss religious practices in Burma in relation to those of its neighboring Theravada country, Thailand, because of the known contrasts and similarities between the two regarding Buddhism and spirit possession. The symposium aims not only to develop new ideas and approaches but also to foster constructive interaction among scholars of Burma, Thailand, and Buddhist studies, and also between Western and non-Western academics. The diversity of the participants reflects our attempt to discuss what it means to study religion from multiple perspectives.

Conference participants.

Bénédicte Brac de la Perrière. Laboratoire Asie du Sud-Est et Monde Austronésien (LASEMA)
Ven. Dhammasami. University of Oxford
Charles Keyes. University of Washington
Pattana Kitiarsa. National University of Singapore
Naoko Kumada. Stanford University
Frank Reynolds. University of Chicago, Emeritus
Noa Ronkin. Stanford University
Katsumi Tamura. National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka
Michael Zimmermann. Stanford University