Work

From Tea to Temples and Texts: Transformation of the Interfaces of Upland-Lowland Interaction on the China-Myanmar Border

Year: 2013

Type: article

Abstract: The nature of upland-lowland relations has been a productive preoccupation for students of Southeast Asia.This paper looks at relations between the Ta'aang and Tay Maaw people of Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, in southwestern China, re-examining the upland-lowland interaction through the lens of Buddhist practice.The role of lay ritual specialists in maintaining daily religious life and the use of upland minority language in ritual practice are central to the analysis.Special attention is given to the Ta'aang, as the changes underway in their society present us with an opportunity to reassess some of the basic assumptions about upland-lowland relations, in both present and past contexts, from the lesser-known upland point of view.

Source: Southeast Asian Studies

DOI: 10.20495/seas.2.1_95

Authors: Takahiro Kojima, Nathan Badenoch

Institutions: Kyoto University, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University

Language: English

Topic: Indian and Buddhist Studies

Subfield: Religious studies

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Awards: A Study on the Relationship between Nation State and Religious Practices in Theravada Buddhist Society: The Case of Contemporary Myanmar, Comparative Study on Mainland Southeast Asian Religions in Border-crossing, Mapping Practices of Theravadins of Mainland Southeast Asia in Time and Space: Temple/Hermitage, Social Mobility and Network.