(Re)producing Buddhist hegemony in Sri Lanka: Advancing the discursive formations of self-Orientalism, religious (im)mobility and 'unethical' conversion

This paper explores how Buddhist groups in Sri Lanka attempt to suppress conversion to Christianity. Conversion to Christianity can dilute the power and legitimacy of Buddhist groups, which has caused them to promote a discourse of ‘unethical’ conversion. My argument is that such a discourse is self...

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Main Author: WOODS, Orlando
Format: text
Language:English
Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2018
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Online Access:https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2425
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/3682/viewcontent/ReproducingBuddhistHegemonySriLanka_2017_afv.pdf
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spelling sg-smu-ink.soss_research-36822018-08-07T03:22:26Z (Re)producing Buddhist hegemony in Sri Lanka: Advancing the discursive formations of self-Orientalism, religious (im)mobility and 'unethical' conversion WOODS, Orlando This paper explores how Buddhist groups in Sri Lanka attempt to suppress conversion to Christianity. Conversion to Christianity can dilute the power and legitimacy of Buddhist groups, which has caused them to promote a discourse of ‘unethical’ conversion. My argument is that such a discourse is self-Orientalising in nature, and is designed to enable the (re)production of Buddhist hegemony in Sri Lanka. By constructing Buddhists as vulnerable and in need of protection, the hegemonic actions of Buddhist groups are validated. These constructions serve to restrict the religious (and socio-cultural) mobility of Buddhists, and to legitimise the persecution of Christians through both legislative and violent means. Sensitivity to the effects of self-Orientalism reveals the need for more critical readings of the effects of religious protectionism on both the Christian other, and the national self as well. 2018-04-01T07:00:00Z text application/pdf https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2425 info:doi/10.1080/0048721x.2017.1402831 https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/3682/viewcontent/ReproducingBuddhistHegemonySriLanka_2017_afv.pdf http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Research Collection School of Social Sciences eng Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University Buddhist hegemony evangelical Christianity Religious conversio n religious mobility self-Orientalism Sri Lanka Asian Studies Religion
institution Singapore Management University
building SMU Libraries
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider SMU Libraries
collection InK@SMU
language English
topic Buddhist hegemony
evangelical Christianity
Religious conversio
n religious mobility
self-Orientalism
Sri Lanka
Asian Studies
Religion
spellingShingle Buddhist hegemony
evangelical Christianity
Religious conversio
n religious mobility
self-Orientalism
Sri Lanka
Asian Studies
Religion
WOODS, Orlando
(Re)producing Buddhist hegemony in Sri Lanka: Advancing the discursive formations of self-Orientalism, religious (im)mobility and 'unethical' conversion
description This paper explores how Buddhist groups in Sri Lanka attempt to suppress conversion to Christianity. Conversion to Christianity can dilute the power and legitimacy of Buddhist groups, which has caused them to promote a discourse of ‘unethical’ conversion. My argument is that such a discourse is self-Orientalising in nature, and is designed to enable the (re)production of Buddhist hegemony in Sri Lanka. By constructing Buddhists as vulnerable and in need of protection, the hegemonic actions of Buddhist groups are validated. These constructions serve to restrict the religious (and socio-cultural) mobility of Buddhists, and to legitimise the persecution of Christians through both legislative and violent means. Sensitivity to the effects of self-Orientalism reveals the need for more critical readings of the effects of religious protectionism on both the Christian other, and the national self as well.
format text
author WOODS, Orlando
author_facet WOODS, Orlando
author_sort WOODS, Orlando
title (Re)producing Buddhist hegemony in Sri Lanka: Advancing the discursive formations of self-Orientalism, religious (im)mobility and 'unethical' conversion
title_short (Re)producing Buddhist hegemony in Sri Lanka: Advancing the discursive formations of self-Orientalism, religious (im)mobility and 'unethical' conversion
title_full (Re)producing Buddhist hegemony in Sri Lanka: Advancing the discursive formations of self-Orientalism, religious (im)mobility and 'unethical' conversion
title_fullStr (Re)producing Buddhist hegemony in Sri Lanka: Advancing the discursive formations of self-Orientalism, religious (im)mobility and 'unethical' conversion
title_full_unstemmed (Re)producing Buddhist hegemony in Sri Lanka: Advancing the discursive formations of self-Orientalism, religious (im)mobility and 'unethical' conversion
title_sort (re)producing buddhist hegemony in sri lanka: advancing the discursive formations of self-orientalism, religious (im)mobility and 'unethical' conversion
publisher Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University
publishDate 2018
url https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2425
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/3682/viewcontent/ReproducingBuddhistHegemonySriLanka_2017_afv.pdf
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