Episodes
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Tibetan biographers began writing Jetsun Milarepa's (1052--1135) life story shortly after his death, initiating a literary tradition that turned the poet and saint into a model of virtuosic Buddhist practice throughout the Himalayan world. Andrew Quintman traces this history and its innovations in narrative and aesthetic representation across four centuries, culminating in a detailed analysis of the genre's most famous example, composed in 1488 by Tsangnyön Heruka, or the "Madman of Western Tibet." Quintman imagines these works as a kind of physical body supplanting the yogin's corporeal relics.
Jetsun Milarepa biography Andrew Quintman Tibetan studies Milarepa life story and legacy Buddhist poet-saint in the Himalayas Tsangnyön Heruka Madman of Western Tibet Tibetan literary tradition and biography Milarepa's spiritual journey narrative and aesthetic representation in Tibetan texts Milarepa's influence on Buddhist practice physical relics vs. literary representation 15th-century Tibetan Buddhist literature yogin Milarepa’s spiritual legacy Madman of Western Tibet biography analysis Milarepa’s life as a model for Buddhist practice Tibetan hagiography and religious devotion East Asian Studies Podcast AAR Book Award Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhist History Biographical History -
Is Confucianism a religion? If so, why do most Chinese think it isn't? From ancient Confucian temples, to nineteenth-century archives, to the testimony of people interviewed by the author throughout China over a period of more than a decade, this book traces the birth and growth of the idea of Confucianism as a world religion.
Is Confucianism a religion? Confucianism as a world religion Confucian temples in China Friedrich Max Müller and James Legge on Confucianism Confucianism in modern Chinese politics Anna Sun Confucian studies Confucian revival in contemporary China Comparative religion and Confucianism Confucian rituals and social significance Confucian activism and religious movements Confucianism and Chinese government policies Confucianism and global politics Oxford scholars on Confucianism Social and political change in China Transformation of Confucianism into a religion East Asian Studies Podcast East Asian Religion Podcast Chinese Religion Chinese Religious History AAR Book Award
The book begins at Oxford, in the late nineteenth century, when Friedrich Max Müller and James Legge classified Confucianism as a world religion in the new discourse of "world religions" and the emerging discipline of comparative religion. Anna Sun shows how that decisive moment continues to influence the understanding of Confucianism in the contemporary world, not only in the West but also in China, where the politics of Confucianism has become important to the present regime in a time of transition. Contested histories of Confucianism are vital signs of social and political change.
Sun also examines the revival of Confucianism in contemporary China and the social significance of the ritual practice of Confucian temples. While the Chinese government turns to Confucianism to justify its political agenda, Confucian activists have started a movement to turn Confucianism into a religion. Confucianism as a world religion might have begun as a scholarly construction, but are we witnessing its transformation into a social and political reality?
With historical analysis, extensive research, and thoughtful reflection, Confucianism as a World Religion will engage all those interested in religion and global politics at the beginning of the Chinese century. -
Episodes manquant?
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In this episode, we dive into expert insights from discussions hosted by the Harvard Asia Center and the Harriman Institute at Columbia University on the impact of Russia's war in Ukraine on Asia. As the conflict unfolds, the strategic relationship between China and Russia has become more complex, with significant implications for the stability of the Asia-Pacific region. We explore the nuanced perspectives of renowned experts on how China's pragmatic support of Russia, India’s reliance on Russian arms, and North Korea's unpredictable actions are reshaping regional geopolitics. Listen in as we analyze the global ramifications of the conflict, including food security, energy markets, and the potential for shifting alliances in an increasingly multipolar world.
China-Russia relations podcast Impact of Ukraine War on Asia Harvard Asia Center panel discussion Harriman Institute geopolitical analysis China’s stance on Russia-Ukraine war Asia-Pacific stability and Ukraine conflict Strategic partnerships in Asia India’s military ties with Russia North Korea’s role in regional security Ukraine conflict and global geopolitics Xi Jinping Putin relationship analysis China’s economic ties with Russia Shifting alliances in Asia US-China relations amid Ukraine war Geopolitical implications of Russia-Ukraine war East Asian Studies Podcast East Asian Studies
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The goddess Guanyin began in India as the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, originally a male deity. He gradually became indigenized as a female deity in China over the span of nearly a millennium. By the Ming (1358–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) periods, Guanyin had become the most popular female deity in China. In Becoming Guanyin, Yuhang Li examines how lay Buddhist women in late imperial China forged a connection with the subject of their devotion, arguing that women used their own bodies to echo that of Guanyin.
Guanyin and Avalokiteśvara transformation Becoming Guanyin Yuhang Li analysis female deity worship in late imperial China Buddhist women devotion practices Guanyin in Ming and Qing periods lay Buddhist women religious devotion mimetic devotion in Chinese Buddhism material culture and Buddhist worship secular women and religious salvation art history and Buddhist studies podcast gender transformation in Chinese religion embroidery and painting in Guanyin worship Confucian patriarchal system and Buddhism women’s creative depictions of Guanyin bodily portrayal of Guanyin through dance and jewelry East Asian Studies Podcast East Asian Religion Podcast Chinese Religious History East Asian Religious History Chinese Art History Chinese Buddhist Art
Li focuses on the power of material things to enable women to access religious experience and transcendence. In particular, she examines how secular Buddhist women expressed mimetic devotion and pursued religious salvation through creative depictions of Guanyin in different media such as painting and embroidery and through bodily portrayals of the deity using jewelry and dance. These material displays expressed a worldview that differed from yet fit within the Confucian patriarchal system. Attending to the fabrication and use of “women’s things” by secular women, Li offers new insight into the relationships between worshipped and worshipper in Buddhist practice. Combining empirical research with theoretical insights from both art history and Buddhist studies, Becoming Guanyin is a field-changing analysis that reveals the interplay between material culture, religion, and their gendered transformations. -
This study of Cambodian nationalism brings to life eight turbulent decades of cultural change and sheds new light on the colonial ancestry of Pol Pot's murderous dystopia. Penny Edwards re-creates the intellectual milieux and cultural traffic linking Europe and empire, interweaving analysis of key movements and ideas in the French Protectorate of Cambodge with contemporary developments in the Metropole.
Cambodian nationalism podcast Penny Edwards Cambodian history colonial ancestry of Pol Pot Cambodge cultural change 1860-1945 French Protectorate in Cambodia intellectual milieux in colonial Cambodia Buddhism and Cambodian nationalism Angkor as a national symbol Cambodian cultural history colonialism and nationalism in Southeast Asia cultural dynamics in French Cambodia Cambodian independence movement heritage studies and Angkor Wat Cambodian nationalism under French rule Asian and European religious influences Cambodia and French colonial policies art history and national monuments in Cambodia Southeast Asian history podcast modern French colonial history cultural traffic between Europe and Cambodia East Asian Studies Podcast East Asian History Southeast Asian History Cambodian History
With its fresh take on the dynamics of colonialism and nationalism, Cambodge: The Cultivation of a Nation, 1860-1945 will become essential reading for scholars of history, politics, and society in Southeast Asia. Edwards' analysis of Buddhism and her consideration of Angkor's emergence as a national monument will be of particular interest to students of Asian and European religion, museology, heritage studies, and art history. It will also appeal to specialists in modern French history, cultural studies, and colonialism, as well as readers with a general interest in Cambodia. -
This episode delves into the profound impact of China's economic engagement with Latin America, inspired by the insights from Dragonomics by Carol Wise and The China Triangle by Kevin P. Gallagher. We explore how China's insatiable demand for commodities like soybeans, copper, and petroleum has reshaped Latin American economies over the past two decades. Join us as we analyze the benefits and challenges of this relationship, from economic growth to social and environmental implications, and how countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Peru are navigating these complexities amidst global shifts. We also discuss the strategic dynamics between China, the US, and Latin America, and what the future holds for this evolving economic partnership.
China-Latin America trade relations China's economic impact on Latin America Dragonomics podcast episode Kevin Gallagher China Triangle Latin America commodity boom China’s influence on South American economies China’s role in Latin America’s growth Economic integration with China Latin American exports to China China's strategic investments in Latin America East Asian Studies Podcast China and Latin America Washington Consensus -
Muslims and Matriarchs is a history of an unusual, probably heretical, and ultimately resilient cultural system. The Minangkabau culture of West Sumatra, Indonesia, is well known as the world's largest matrilineal culture; Minangkabau people are also Muslim and famous for their piety. In this book, Jeffrey Hadler examines the changing ideas of home and family in Minangkabau from the late eighteenth century to the 1930s.
Minangkabau has experienced a sustained and sometimes violent debate between Muslim reformists and preservers of indigenous culture. During a protracted and bloody civil war of the early nineteenth century, neo-Wahhabi reformists sought to replace the matriarchate with a society modeled on that of the Prophet Muhammad. In capitulating, the reformists formulated an uneasy truce that sought to find a balance between Islamic law and local custom. With the incorporation of highland West Sumatra into the Dutch empire in the aftermath of this war, the colonial state entered an ongoing conversation. These existing tensions between colonial ideas of progress, Islamic reformism, and local custom ultimately strengthened the matriarchate.
The ferment generated by the trinity of oppositions created social conditions that account for the disproportionately large number of Minangkabau leaders in Indonesian politics across the twentieth century. The endurance of the matriarchate is testimony to the fortitude of local tradition, the unexpected flexibility of reformist Islam, and the ultimate weakness of colonialism. Muslims and Matriarchs is particularly timely in that it describes a society that experienced a neo-Wahhabi jihad and an extended period of Western occupation but remained intellectually and theologically flexible and diverse.
Muslims and Matriarchs podcast Minangkabau culture and matrilineal society Islamic reformism in West Sumatra matriarchal society in Indonesia Minangkabau Muslim traditions Jeffrey Hadler Minangkabau history Islam vs local customs in Indonesia colonial influence on Minangkabau culture neo-Wahhabi reformist movements Islamic law vs indigenous traditions Dutch colonial rule in West Sumatra matriarchate resilience in Indonesia Minangkabau political leaders and influence Islamic reform and matrilineal customs conflict between colonial progress and tradition cultural synthesis in Minangkabau society historical analysis of matriarchal systems Islamic flexibility and local traditions Indonesian history podcast episode Minangkabau civil war and cultural preservation East Asian Studies Podcast Southeast Asian Studies Podcast Southeast Asia Indonesia History -
Japan was the only non-Western nation to industrialize before 1900 and its leap into the modern era has stimulated vigorous debates among historians and social scientists. In an innovative discussion that posits the importance of physical well-being as a key indicator of living standards, Susan B. Hanley considers daily life in the three centuries leading up to the modern era in Japan. She concludes that people lived much better than has been previously understood―at levels equal or superior to their Western contemporaries. She goes on to illustrate how this high level of physical well-being had important consequences for Japan's ability to industrialize rapidly and for the comparatively smooth transition to a modern, industrial society.
Japan's early industrialization and modernization Pre-1900 industrialization in Japan Susan B. Hanley's analysis of living standards Physical well-being as an indicator of modernization Material culture in pre-modern Japan Comparative analysis of Japanese and Western lifestyles Food, sanitation, and housing in pre-modern Japan Daily life and resource conservation in Japan Cross-cultural comparisons between Japan and the West Japan's smooth transition to an industrial society Impact of material well-being on Japan's rapid industrialization Sanitation and waste disposal in early Japanese society Longevity and health in pre-industrial Japan Effects of modernization on daily life in Japan Comparing Japan's living standards with the West and Asia East Asian Studies Podcast Japanese History Podcast Japanese History Material Culture
While others have used income levels to conclude that the Japanese household was relatively poor in those centuries, Hanley examines the material culture―food, sanitation, housing, and transportation. How did ordinary people conserve the limited resources available in this small island country? What foods made up the daily diet and how were they prepared? How were human wastes disposed of? How long did people live? Hanley answers all these questions and more in an accessible style and with frequent comparisons with Western lifestyles. Her methods allow for cross-cultural comparisons between Japan and the West as well as Japan and the rest of Asia. They will be useful to anyone interested in the effects of modernization on daily life. -
Much of the world’s population inhabits the urban fringe, an area that is neither fully rural nor urban. Hóc Môn, a district that lies along a key transport corridor on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City, epitomizes one of those places. In Saigon’s Edge, Erik Harms explores life in Hóc Môn, putting forth a revealing perspective on how rapid urbanization impacts the people who live at the intersection of rural and urban worlds. Unlike the idealized Vietnamese model of urban space, Hóc Môn is between worlds, neither outside nor inside but always uncomfortably both. With particular attention to everyday social realities, Harms demonstrates how living on the margin can be both alienating and empowering, as forces that exclude its denizens from power and privilege in the inner city are used to thwart the status quo on the rural edges. More than a local case study of urban change, Harms’s work also opens a window on Vietnam’s larger turn toward market socialism and the celebration of urbanization—transformations instructively linked to trends around the globe.
urban fringe communities podcast Hóc Môn district urbanization impact urban-rural intersection in Ho Chi Minh City Saigon’s Edge Erik Harms analysis Vietnam market socialism and urbanization urban transformation in Vietnam social realities in Vietnamese urban fringe life on the margins of Saigon rural-urban dynamics in Southeast Asia living between rural and urban worlds rapid urbanization effects in Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City urban fringe study everyday life in transitional spaces empowerment on the urban margins Vietnam’s shift to market socialism transport corridors and urban change alienation and resilience in Hóc Môn Vietnamese urban fringe social dynamics urbanization case study podcast intersection of rural and urban spaces
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Many Japanese people consider themselves to be part of an essentially unchanging and isolated ethnic unit in which the biological, linguistic, and cultural aspects of Japanese identity overlap almost completely with each other. In its examination of the processes of ethnogenesis (the formation of ethnic groups) in the Japanese Islands, Ruins of Identity offers an approach to ethnicity that differs fundamentally from that found in most Japanese scholarship and popular discourse. Following an extensive discussion of previous theories on the formation of Japanese language, race, and culture and the nationalistic ideologies that have affected research in these topics, Mark Hudson presents a model of a core Japanese population based on the dual origin hypothesis currently favored by physical anthropologists. According to this model, the Jomon population, which was present in Japan by at least the end of the Pleistocene, was followed by agriculturalists from the Korean peninsula during the Yayoi period (ca. 400 BC to AD 300). Hudson analyzes further evidence of migrations and agricultural colonization in an impressive summary of recent cranial, dental, and genetic studies and in a careful examination of the linguistic and archaeological records.
Japanese ethnogenesis and identity formation Cultural construction of Japanese ethnicity Mark Hudson's analysis of Japanese origins Dual origin hypothesis: Jomon and Yayoi populations Ethnic identity in Japanese scholarship and discourse Migration and agricultural colonization in Japan Cranial, dental, and genetic studies on Japanese ancestry Interaction between core and periphery in East Asia Ainu culture and Japanese trade influence Cultural negotiation and identity recreation in Japan Impact of nationalism on Japanese ethnic research Yayoi period and agricultural influence in Japan East Asian world system and Japanese ethnogenesis Archaeological and linguistic evidence of Japanese origins Japanese isolation and ethnic homogeneity myths East Asian Studies Podcast Japanese History Podcast Japanese Identity
The final sections of the book explore the cultural construction of Japanese ethnicity. Cultural aspects of ethnicity do not emerge pristine and fully formed but are the result of cumulative negotiation. Ethnic identity is continually recreated through interaction within and without the society concerned. Such a view necessitates an approach to culture change that takes into account complex interactions with a larger system. Accordingly, Hudson considers post-Yayoi ethnogenesis in Japan within the East Asian world system, examining the role of interaction between core and periphery in the formation of new ethnic identities, such as the Ainu. He argues that the defining elements of the Ainu period and culture (ca. AD 1200) can be linked directly to a dramatic expansion in Japanese trade goods flowing north as Hokkaido became increasingly exploited by core regions to the south.
Highly original and at times controversial, Ruins of Identity will be essential reading for students and scholars in Japanese studies and will be of interest to anthropologists and historians working on ethnicity in other parts of the world. -
In this episode, we explore the revolutionary ways in which big data and digital humanities are transforming the study of East Asian history. Drawing insights from scholars and the latest research, including groundbreaking work from the Lee-Campbell Research Group, we delve into how large-scale datasets, digital tools, and computational analysis are unlocking new understandings of historical phenomena in China, Japan, and Korea. Join us as we discuss the fusion of traditional historical methods with cutting-edge technology to shed light on subjects ranging from Qing officialdom to biographical databases. Whether you're a history enthusiast or a tech-savvy academic, this episode will illuminate how modern tools are reshaping our approach to historical research.
Keywords:
Big data in East Asian history Digital humanities and East Asia Chinese history datasets Computational analysis in historical research Qing officialdom database Digital tools for historical studies Lee-Campbell Research Group findings Japan digital archives Korean historical databases Tech innovations in history research Transforming East Asian studies with AI Historical data mining in China East Asian Studies East Asian Studies Podcast Chinese History Chinese History Podcast East Asian History -
A groundbreaking exploration of US-China relations as seen through the lens of international finance
Rising tensions between China and the United States have kept the financial markets on edge as a showdown between the world’s two largest economies seems inevitable. But what most people fail to recognise is the major impact that the financial markets themselves have had on the creation and acceleration of the conflict.
In Financial Cold War: A View of Sino-US Relations from the Financial Markets, market structure and geopolitical finance expert James Fok explores the nuances of China-US relations from the perspective of the financial markets. The book helps readers understand how imbalances in the structure of global financial markets have singularly contributed to frictions between the two countries.
In this book, readers will find:
A comprehensive examination of the development of financial markets in both China and the US, as well as the current US dollar-based global financial system Insightful observations of the roles of technology, innovation, regulation, taxation, and politics in the markets, and on their resulting effect on US-Sino relations Thorough explorations of the role of Hong Kong as an intermediary for capital flows between China and the rest of the world Suggestions for how, balancing the many varying interests, policymakers might be able to devise effective strategies for de-escalating current Sino-US tensionsFinancial Cold War is a can’t-miss resource for anyone personally or professionally interested in the intersection of economics and international relations, financial markets, and the infrastructure underlying the international financial system.
US-China relations financial markets Financial Cold War James Fok Sino-US economic tensions global financial system China US geopolitical finance and international relations impact of financial markets on US-China conflict financial market structure and Sino-US tensions role of Hong Kong in global capital flows US dollar-based financial system challenges technology and innovation in finance financial policy strategies for US-China de-escalation global finance market imbalances economic relations between China and America international finance and geopolitics Financial Cold War book insights East Asian Studies Podcast China and the U.S -
In this ground-breaking new study, Teren Sevea reveals the economic, environmental and religious significance of Islamic miracle workers (pawangs) in the nineteenth- and twentieth-century Malay world. Through close textual analysis of hitherto overlooked manuscripts and personal interaction with modern pawangs readers are introduced to a universe of miracle workers that existed both in the past and in the present, uncovering connections between miracles and material life. Sevea demonstrates how societies in which the production and extraction of natural resources, as well as the uses of technology, were intertwined with the knowledge of charismatic religious figures, and locates the role of the pawangs in the spiritual economy of the Indian Ocean world, across maritime connections and Sufi networks, and on the frontier of the British Empire.
Islamic miracle workers in Malay world Teren Sevea Islamic studies Pawangs economic and religious influence Malay miracle workers and natural resources Islamic spirituality in 19th-20th century Southeast Asia Pawangs and spiritual economy Maritime connections in the Indian Ocean world Charismatic religious figures in Malay history Sufi networks and spiritual practices British Empire frontier and Islamic influence Islamic miracles and material life Natural resource extraction and religious knowledge Textual analysis of Malay manuscripts Religious figures in economic activities Environmental history of the Malay Archipelago Spiritual leaders in Southeast Asian Islam Intersection of technology and Islamic spirituality Islamic miracle workers and colonialism Indian Ocean spiritual economy Islamic charismatic figures in Southeast Asia East Asian Studies Podcast Southeast Asian Studies Podcast Southeast Asian History -
Korea Between Empires chronicles the development of a Korean national consciousness. It focuses on two critical periods in Korean history and asks how key concepts and symbols were created and integrated into political programs to create an original Korean understanding of national identity, the nation-state, and nationalism. Looking at the often-ignored questions of representation, narrative, and rhetoric in the construction of public sentiment, Andre Schmid traces the genealogies of cultural assumptions and linguistic turns evident in Korea's major newspapers during the social and political upheavals of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Korean national consciousness development National identity and nation-state in Korea Korean nationalism and historical analysis Korea's late 19th and early 20th-century history Role of newspapers in shaping Korean nationalism Cultural symbols and political programs in Korea Confucian past vs. modern nationalist vision Representation, narrative, and rhetoric in Korea Impact of social and political upheavals on Korea Influence of Chinese and Japanese colonial ambitions Newspapers as mediators of nationalist ideology Genealogies of cultural assumptions in Korea Public sentiment construction in Korean media Capitalist modernity and Korean national identity Andre Schmid's analysis of Korean historical narratives East Asian Studies Podcast East Asia Modern Japan Modern Korea Korean Studies Podcast Korean History Podcast Imperial History Podcast Imperial History
Newspapers were the primary location for the re-imagining of the nation, enabling readers to move away from the conceptual framework inherited from a Confucian and dynastic past toward a nationalist vision that was deeply rooted in global ideologies of capitalist modernity. As producers and disseminators of knowledge about the nation, newspapers mediated perceptions of Korea's precarious place amid Chinese and Japanese colonial ambitions and were vitally important to the rise of a nationalist movement in Korea. -
In the West, Harvard philosopher Michael Sandel is a thinker of unusual prominence. In China, he’s a phenomenon, greeted by vast crowds. China Daily reports that he has acquired a popularity “usually reserved for Hollywood movie stars.” China Newsweek declared him the “most influential foreign figure” of the year. In Sandel the Chinese have found a guide through the ethical dilemmas created by the nation’s swift embrace of a market economy―a guide whose communitarian ideas resonate with aspects of China’s own rich and ancient philosophical traditions.
Chinese citizens often describe a sense that, in sprinting ahead, they have bounded past whatever barriers once held back the forces of corruption and moral disregard. The market economy has lifted millions from poverty but done little to define ultimate goals for individuals or the nation. Is the market all there is? In this context, Sandel’s charismatic, interactive lecturing style, which roots moral philosophy in real-world scenarios, has found an audience struggling with questions of their responsibility to one another.
Michael Sandel China popularity Harvard philosopher in China Michael Sandel communitarian ideas Chinese market economy ethics Moral philosophy in China Michael Sandel lectures China Ethical dilemmas in modern China Sandel influence on Chinese youth Philosophy and market economy in China Moral education in China Sandel Chinese cultural impact China’s embrace of Western philosophy Ancient Chinese philosophy and modern ethics Harvard philosophy in China Corruption and morality in China’s economy Harvard Yenching East Asian Studies Podcast -
Since the end of the Korean War, an estimated 200,000 children from South Korea have been adopted into white families in North America, Europe, and Australia. While these transnational adoptions were initiated as an emergency measure to find homes for mixed-race children born in the aftermath of the war, the practice grew exponentially from the 1960s through the 1980s. At the height of South Korea’s “economic miracle,” adoption became an institutionalized way of dealing with poor and illegitimate children. Most of the adoptees were raised with little exposure to Koreans or other Korean adoptees, but as adults, through global flows of communication, media, and travel, they have come into increasing contact with each other, Korean culture, and the South Korean state. Since the 1990s, as Korean children have continued to leave to be adopted in the West, a growing number of adult adoptees have been returning to Korea to seek their cultural and biological origins. In this fascinating ethnography, Eleana J. Kim examines the history of Korean adoption, the emergence of a distinctive adoptee collective identity, and adoptee returns to Korea in relation to South Korean modernity and globalization. Kim draws on interviews with adult adoptees, social workers, NGO volunteers, adoptee activists, scholars, and journalists in the U.S., Europe, and South Korea, as well as on observations at international adoptee conferences, regional organization meetings, and government-sponsored motherland tours.
Korean adoption history Transnational adoption from South Korea Eleana J. Kim Korean adoption Korean adoptee identity formation Adoptee return trips to South Korea South Korean modernity and adoption Transnational Korean adoptee communities Adoptee cultural and biological origins Globalization and Korean adoption Korean War orphans adoption Mixed-race children adoption post-Korean War Adoption as solution for illegitimate children in Korea Korean adoptees reconnecting with heritage Korean adoption NGOs and social work Adoption in South Korea’s economic miracle era Adult Korean adoptee experiences Adoptee conferences and motherland tours Korean adoptee activism South Korean state and adoption policy Impact of Western adoption on Korean families East Asian Studies Podcast Korean History Podcast Modern Korea -
In this path breaking book, Eiko Ikegami uncovers a complex history of social life in which aesthetic images became central to Japan's cultural identities. The people of premodern Japan built on earlier aesthetic traditions in part for their own sake, but also to find space for self-expression in the increasingly rigid and tightly controlled Tokugawa political system. In so doing, they incorporated the world of the beautiful within their social life which led to new modes of civility. They explored horizontal and voluntary ways of associating while immersing themselves in aesthetic group activities. Combining sociological insights in organizations with prodigious scholarship on cultural history, this book explores such wide-ranging topics as networks of performing arts, tea ceremony and haiku, the politics of kimono aesthetics, the rise of commercial publishing, the popularization of etiquette and manners, the vogue for androgyny in kabuki performance, and the rise of tacit modes of communication.
Social life and aesthetics in Japan Tokugawa political system and self-expression Premodern Japanese cultural identities Aesthetic traditions in Japan Horizontal associations and voluntary groups Networks in performing arts Japan Tea ceremony and haiku in social life Kimono aesthetics and politics Commercial publishing in Tokugawa era Popularization of etiquette and manners Androgyny in kabuki performance Tacit communication in Japanese culture Sociological insights on cultural history Japanese civility and social organization Intersection of art and social structures East Asian Studies Podcast East Asia Japanese History Podcast Japanese History Modern Japanese Studies Social History Japanese Social History -
In this fine scholarly work, Lopez (Asian Languages and Cultures/Univ. of Michigan) warns his readers away from romanticized visions of Tibet, which ultimately harm that beleaguered nation's prospects for independence. Buddhism, the religion of enlightenment, takes as its task the dispersal of human misconceptions of reality. It is only fitting that, in the wake of heightened popular interest in Tibet, Lopez should write a corrective to both positive and negative misconceptions of Tibetan Buddhism. Among the sources of misinterpretation he notes are: psychological interpretations of the Tibetan Book of the Dead; The Third Eye, by Englishman Cyril Hoskin, a fantastic (and popular) tale of Tibetan spirit possession published in 1956; mistranslations of the famous mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum; exhibitions of Tibetan art in Western museums; the institutionalization of the academic discipline of Tibetology; increasingly airy spiritualizations of Tibetan culture. What all these acts of interpreting Tibetan Buddhism share, says Lopez, is a whole or partial disregard for the concrete, living contexts of Tibetan religion. Elements of Tibetan Buddhism become abstract symbols onto which Western writers project their own spiritual, psychological, or professional needs. For example, the chant Om Mani Padme Hum, mistranslated as ``the jewel is in the lotus,'' is allegorized into an edifying symbol of conjoined opposites when, in fact, it is simply a prayerful invocation of the Buddhist god Avalokiteshvara. The irony is that Tibetans affirm these Western misreadings in hopes of winning more sympathy for their struggle for independence. The danger, according to Lopez, is that the full particularity of Tibet will be lost in ineffectual platitudes. He is angry about many of the more outrageous manglings of Tibetan belief and culture; he can also be quite witty over the more ridiculous applications by New Agers of ostensibly Tibetan beliefs. As an interpreter of interpreters, Lopez functions here twice removed from the actual religion of Tibet; readers should approach with some prior knowledge of Buddhism. Prisoners of Shangri-La is a provocative analysis of the romance of Tibet, a romance that, even as it is invoked by Tibetan lamas living in exile, ultimately imprisons those who seek the goal of Tibetan independence from Chinese occupation. "Lopez lifts the veil on America's romantic vision of Tibet to reveal a country and a spiritual history more complex and less ideal than popular perceptions allow. . . . Lively and engaging, Lopez's book raises important questions about how Eastern religions are often co-opted, assimilated and misunderstood by Western culture."—Publishers Weekly
Prisoners of Shangri-La Donald Lopez Misinterpretations of Tibetan Buddhism Romanticized visions of Tibet Western misconceptions of Tibetan culture Impact of New Age spiritualism on Tibetan beliefs Critique of The Tibetan Book of the Dead Misinterpretation of Om Mani Padme Hum Tibetology and Western academic studies Cultural appropriation of Tibetan spirituality Tibetan Buddhism vs Western interpretations Avalokiteshvara mantra mistranslation Tibetan art exhibitions in Western museums Western projections on Tibetan religion Psychological interpretations of Tibetan texts Tibet’s struggle for independence and Western influence New Age spiritual movements and Tibetan culture Critique of Cyril Hoskin's The Third Eye Complex realities of Tibetan history and religion Lopez’s critique of Tibetan romanticism Western romanticism’s impact on Tibetan independence East Asian Studies Podcast Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhist History Orientalism Inner Asian History Inner Asian History Podcast -
Seventeenth-century Korea was a country in crisis―successive invasions by Hideyoshi and the Manchus had rocked the Chosòn dynasty (1392-1910), which already was weakened by maladministration, internecine bureaucratic factionalism, unfair taxation, concentration of wealth, military problems, and other ills. Yu Hyòngwòn (1622–1673, pen name, Pan’gye), a recluse scholar, responded to this time of chaos and uncertainty by writing his modestly titled Pan’gye surok (The Jottings of Pan’gye), a virtual encyclopedia of Confucian statecraft, designed to support his plan for a revived and reformed Korean system of government.Although Yu was ignored in his own time by all but a few admirers and disciples, his ideas became prominent by the mid-eighteenth century as discussions were underway to solve problems in taxation, military service, and commercial activity. Yu has been viewed by Korean and Japanese scholars as a forerunner of modernization, but in Confucian Statecraft and Korean Institutions James B. Palais challenges this view, demonstrating that Yu was instead an outstanding example of the premodern tradition.Palais uses Yu Hyòngwòn’s mammoth, pivotal text to examine the development and shape of the major institutions of Chosòn dynasty Korea. He has included a thorough treatment of the many Chinese classical and historical texts that Yu used as well as the available Korean primary sources and Korean and Japanese secondary scholarship. Palais traces the history of each of Yu’s subjects from the beginning of the dynasty and pursues developments through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. He stresses both the classical and historical roots of Yu’s reform ideas and analyzes the nature and degree of proto-capitalistic changes, such as the use of metallic currency, the introduction of wage labor into the agrarian economy, the development of unregulated commercial activity, and the appearance of industries with more differentiation of labor.Because it contains much comparative material, Confucian Statecraft and Korean Institutions will be of interest to scholars of China and Japan, as well as to Korea specialists. It also has much to say to scholars of agrarian society, slavery, landholding systems, bureaucracy, and developing economies.Winner of the John Whitney Hall Book Prize, sponsored by the Association for Asian Studies
Seventeenth-century Korea crisis Yu Hyòngwòn Pan’gye surok analysis Confucian statecraft and Korean reform Chosòn dynasty political and social challenges James B. Palais Confucian Statecraft book Korean government reform in the 17th century Confucian influence on Korean institutions Military and taxation reforms in Chosòn Korea Proto-capitalistic changes in Korean economy Emergence of wage labor in agrarian Korea Role of commercial activity in Korean modernization Chosòn dynasty economic and social institutions Comparative study of Korea, China, and Japan Impact of Confucian ideals on Korean governance Winner of John Whitney Hall Book Prize Yu Hyòngwòn’s influence on later Korean reform Chinese classical texts and Korean scholarship Bureaucratic reforms in Chosòn Korea Agrarian society and landholding systems Development of unregulated commercial industries East Asian Studies Podcast Korean History Podcast Modern Korea Choson Dynasty Choson Korean History -
Winner of the 2012 John Whitney Hall Prize. Hokkeji, an ancient Nara temple that once stood at the apex of a state convent network established by Queen-Consort Kōmyō (701-760), possesses a history that in some ways is bigger than itself. Its development is emblematic of larger patterns in the history of female monasticism in Japan. In Hokkeji and the Reemergence of Female Monastic Orders in Premodern Japan, Lori Meeks explores the revival of Japan's most famous convent, an institution that had endured some four hundred years of decline following its establishment. With the help of the Ritsu (Vinaya)-revivalist priest Eison (1201-1290), privately professed women who had taken up residence at Hokkeji succeeded in reestablishing a nuns' ordination lineage in Japan. Through the lens of Hokkeji, Meeks considers a broad range of issues surrounding women's engagement with Buddhism during a time when their status within the tradition was undergoing significant change. The thirteenth century brought women greater opportunities for ordination and institutional leadership, but it also saw the spread of increasingly androcentric Buddhist doctrine. Hokkeji explores these contradictions.
John Whitney Hall Prize winner 2012 Hokkeji Temple history Female monasticism in Japan Queen-Consort Kōmyō Nara period temple network Ritsu (Vinaya) revivalist priest Eison Female ordination lineage Japan Women's engagement with Buddhism Women's roles in medieval Japanese Buddhism Thirteenth-century Buddhist reforms Androcentric Buddhist doctrine Women's spiritual leadership Japan Socio-cultural life of Hokkeji convent Economic role of Hokkeji nuns Buddhist ritual practices by women Veneration of Queen-Consort Kōmyō Bodhisattva Kannon worship Women's resistance to Buddhist gender doctrines Spiritual independence of Japanese nuns Medieval Japanese religious history East Asian Studies Podcast Japanese History Podcast Japanese History Japanese Religious History East Asian Religion
In addition to addressing the socio-cultural, economic, and ritual life of the convent, Hokkeji examines how women interpreted, used, and "talked past" canonical Buddhist doctrines, which posited women's bodies as unfit for buddhahood and the salvation of women to be unattainable without the mediation of male priests. Texts associated with Hokkeji, Meeks argues, suggest that nuns there pursued a spiritual life untroubled by the so-called soteriological obstacles of womanhood. With little concern for the alleged karmic defilements of their gender, the female community at Hokkeji practiced Buddhism in ways resembling male priests: they performed regular liturgies, offered memorial and other priestly services to local lay believers, and promoted their temple as a center for devotional practice. What distinguished Hokkeji nuns from their male counterparts was that many of their daily practices focused on the veneration of a female deity, their founder Queen-Consort Kōmyō, whom they regarded as a manifestation of the bodhisattva Kannon.
Hokkeji rejects the commonly accepted notion that women simply internalized orthodox Buddhist discourses meant to discourage female practice and offers new perspectives on the religious lives of women in premodern Japan. Its attention to the relationship between doctrine and socio-cultural practice produces a fuller view of Buddhism as it was practiced on the ground, outside the rarefied world of Buddhist scholasticism. - Montre plus
