Popular Religion in Southeast Asia

(Hardback)

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Description

In this overview of popular religion in Southeast Asia, Robert L. Winzeler offers an interpretative look at the nature of todays indigenous religious traditions as well as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity and conversion. He focuses not on religion as it exists in books, doctrine, theology, and among elites and dominant institutions but rather in the lives, beliefs, and practices of ordinary people. Popular Religion in Southeast Asia employs a broad view of religion as involving not just the usual Western notions of faith but also supernatural belief in general, magic, sorcery, and practical concerns such as healing, personal protection, and success in business. Case studies and concrete examples flesh out the discussion, demonstrating how popular religion relates to historical and contemporary social, cultural, political, and economic developments in the region.

Reviews

Popular Religion in Southeast Asia gives a nice overview of religious life across a vast and incredibly diverse region of the world, providing solid historical information as well as several detailed case studies. Winzeler is the ideal author for such a work, as he is a prolific writer with decades of fieldwork experience in Sarawak, Borneo, in Malaysia as well as Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. His expertise informs every page yet despite his extensive knowledge (and the complexity of his subject), he writes in a way that accessible and quite engaging.... Almost any reader interested in religion as a social and economic phenomenon will find this book a rewarding read. * Nova Religio: The Journal Of Alternative And Emergent Religions *
[T]he reader has a sure guide to some of the intricacies and complexities found in religion around the region. [W]e find here quite a comprehensive survey of many different movements, providing in a single volume an accessible and useful guide and introduction to many major popular practices of Southeast Asia, as well as some colourful and idiosyncratic movements. The political and social contextualization is also well done. In conclusion, I would encourage scholars of religion from many different traditions and regional specializations to engage this book to see what insights can be gained from the very particular and unusual context of Southeast Asia. Popular Religion in Southeast Asia will provide students with an excellent reference to popular religiosity in this part of the world, while also raising questions about the way we traditionally see orthodox/elite and unorthodox/non-elite practices in general. * Reading Religion *
A well-constructed and accessible introduction to Southeast Asias multiple religionsboth major and indigenousin their diverse settings. Winzeler offers solid historical foundation as well as contemporary social and cultural context. The result is an engaging book with much to offer regional specialists and comparative religious studies scholars. -- Kenneth R. Hall, Ball State University

Author Bio

Robert L. Winzeler is professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Nevada, Reno. He received his AM and PhD from the University of Chicago and has done extensive long-term fieldwork in both insular and mainland Southeast Asia. His numerous books include The Peoples of Southeast Asia Today (2011) and Anthropology and Religion, Second Edition (2012).