RELST 6624

Religion and Modernity: Buddhism in British Colonial South and Southeast Asia

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2015-2016.

By providing an opportunity to engage, explore and examine how local and global ideas and forces interact, this course examines the dynamic interactions between religion and modernity. It inquires how an Asian religion like Buddhism responded to the aspects of modernity i.e., rationality, science, historicism, secularism, mass migration etc. so that it connects with the West. Along with references to theoretical frameworks, original writings representative of modern Buddhist thoughts are examined. Moreover, a set of case studies illustrative of Buddhist and non-Buddhist conceptualizations of Buddhism that emerged in colonial India, Burma and Sri Lanka are discussed. They exemplify how a religion with ancient roots was capable of engaging in modern ideas, processes and projects not just by conceding to modernity but also by challenging and reconstructing it. We draw on studies and discourses of orientalism, colonialism and post-colonialism to help frame investigation of modern Buddhist projects in South and Southeast Asia.

When Offered Spring.

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