| Description |
1 online resource. |
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text file |
| Series |
New perspectives in Southeast Asian studies
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New perspectives in Southeast Asian studies.
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| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Contents |
List of Illustrations; Acknowledgments; Note on Transliteration; Introduction: Of Monarchs, Monks, and Peasant Masses; Part I: Diversity in Humor; 1. Central Thailand: Humor Defeated; 2. Northeastern Thailand: Humor Diverted; 3. Northern Thailand: Humor Delighted; Part II: The Politics of Diversity; 4. Jujaka as Trickster: The Peasant Imaginaire; 5. Jujaka as Threat: Consolidating Control; 6. Jujaka as Deity: Rebirths under Global Capitalism; Conclusion: The Journey's End; Notes; Bibliography; Index. |
| Summary |
The 547 Buddhist jatakas, or verse parables, recount the Buddha's lives in previous incarnations. In his penultimate and most famous incarnation, he appears as the Prince Vessantara, perfecting the virtue of generosity by giving away all his possessions, his wife, and his children to the beggar Jujaka. Taking an anthropological approach to this two-thousand-year-old morality tale, Katherine A. Bowie highlights significant local variations in its interpretations and public performances across three regions of Thailand over 150 years. The Vessantara Jataka has served both monastic and royal interests, encouraging parents to give their sons to religious orders and intimating that kings are future Buddhas. But, as Bowie shows, characterizations of the beggar Jujaka in various regions and eras have also brought ribald humor and sly antiroyalist themes to the story. Historically, these subversive performances appealed to popular audiences even as they worried the conservative Bangkok court. The monarchy sporadically sought to suppress the comedic recitations. As Thailand has changed from a feudal to a capitalist society, this famous story about giving away possessions is paradoxically being employed to promote tourism and wealth. |
| Local Note |
eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - North America |
| Subject |
Tipiṭaka. Suttapiṭaka. Khuddakanikāya. Jātaka. Vessantarajātaka.
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Tipiṭaka. Suttapiṭaka. Khuddakanikāya. Jātaka. Vessantarajātaka. |
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Tipiṭaka. Suttapiṭaka. Khuddakanikāya. Jātaka. Vessantarajātaka. |
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Buddhist giving.
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Buddhist giving. |
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Buddhism and state -- Thailand -- History.
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Buddhism and state. |
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Thailand. |
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History. |
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Buddhism and politics -- Thailand -- History.
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Buddhism and politics. |
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Buddhist stories, Thai -- Humor.
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Buddhist stories, Thai. |
| Genre/Form |
Humor.
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| Subject |
Jataka stories, Thai -- Humor.
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Jataka stories, Thai. |
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Buddhist stories, Thai -- Political aspects.
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Jataka stories, Thai -- Political aspects.
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| Genre/Form |
Electronic books.
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History.
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Humor.
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| Other Form: |
Print version: Bowie, Katherine Ann, 1950- Of beggars and Buddhas. Madison, Wisconsin : The University of Wisconsin Press, [2017] (DLC) 2016017724 |
| ISBN |
9780299309534 (electronic book) |
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0299309533 (electronic book) |
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9780299309503 (cloth ; alkaline paper) |
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0299309509 |
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