Action and Reflection
Asynchronous Session
Philippine "Folk" and the Christian Mystical Tradition View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Philip Conklin
Philippine Catholicism is widely understood to be a deviation from orthodoxy, indicated by the oft-used prefix "Folk." Whether denigrated as an aberration or valorized as a creative adaptation, "Folk Catholicism" is considered a syncretistic, "local" religious practice distinct from Catholicism proper. This paper argues first that the scholarly definition of some religious practices as "folk" is congruous with the church's project of institutional disciplining, which classifies some practices as heretical and some as orthodox. In this way, secular power and church power work together to contain and repress the manifestations of piety among the church's lower-class constituents—that is, the "folk." In order to avoid participating in this disciplinary project, the presentation then argues that popular devotional practices among Filipino Catholics can instead be understood as a continuation and development of a Christian tradition. In particular, I show how practices that are commonly associated with "folk" Catholics resemble the practices of prominent figures in the Christian mystical tradition. Through readings of the works of Pseudo-Dionysius, Mechthild of Magedburg, Teresa of Ávila, and Ignatius of Loyola, I show how three elements of Christian devotional practice are common to venerated mystics and "folk" Catholics: the use of prayer, over and above scripture or doctrinal knowledge, as a means of direct engagement with the divine; the importance of affect and emotion in devotions; and the conception of human beings as debtors in a reciprocal relationship with God. These connections offer one way of seeing Philippine Catholicism as within, rather than outside, of Christian tradition.
Featured The Flute Player’s Return: Exploring Drumming and Performance in the Ritual Worship of Bagḍwāl Devtā in Garhwal Himalaya View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Vineet Gairola
Bagḍwāl worship is a traditional ritual performed in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, India, which venerates the deity Jītū Bagḍwāl. The ritual is believed to safeguard crops, livestock, and village territories from potential harm. It involves the recitation of a folk ballad recounting the story of Jītū Bagḍwāl and his kin, accompanied by various forms of ritual actions such as drumming, dancing, singing, sacrifice, and possession. The essay documents the significance of Bagḍwāl worship and its deep-rooted cultural and religious significance. It is not only a means to seek protection and prosperity but also an expression of communal bonding and cultural identity. Furthermore, the artistic elements that are part of the ritual are not just for entertainment but also serve a deeper spiritual purpose. They facilitate the worshippers to enter into a trance-like state, in which they become possessed by the deity, coupled with drumming and narration by the bards, which plays a central role in the ritual action of worshipping Bagḍwāl. This essay advances our comprehension of the continuing importance of rituals that reinforce the active participation of deities in everyday life in the Himalayan little traditions.
Chinese Folk and Literary Traditions in the Buddhist Monastery Traveling Genre: Racemaking Allegory with Informal Language Modes in The Journey to the West 西游记 and The Monkey and the Monk 獼猴王 View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Xiao Di Tong
An old missionary student of China once remarked that Chinese history is “remote, monotonous, obscure, and-worst of all-there is too much of it.” China has the longest continuous history of any country in the world—3,500 years of written history. And even 3,500 years ago China's civilization was old! My paper examines The Journey to the West 西游记 and The Monkey and the Monk 獼猴王, one of the greatest Chinese classics published during the Ming Dynasty. It is a critical analysis of the Russian Order of the Moscow Patriarchate (Русская православная церковь) and an extended account, set in China, 7th century AD of the legendary pilgrimage of Tang Dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang who traveled to the "Western Regions"—geography and economy of "Slav and Slavic Romanticism" in and between the places along the route, to obtain Buddhist sūtra (sacred texts) and return after many trials and much suffering. The four main characters, Sun Wukong or Monkey King, Tang Sanzang or Tripitaka, Zhu Bajie or Pigsy, Sha Wujing or Sandy, were recorded in Great Tang Records in the Western Regions for their 19-year journey of Chang’an in Chinese Confucius and Taoist historiography. This is an early draft of my third book, in which I present four Chinese folk and literary traditions—homophobia, ethnocentrism/ethnocentricity, parochialism, and racism—that challenge the history of racial formation.
Sanmao and Religion View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Mandy Chan
Sanmao (Echo Chen Ping) (1943-1991) is a Chinese/Taiwanese phenomenal celebrity writer and cultural icon of the 1970s to the 1990s. Her most well-known work to most readers is Stories of the Sahara, first published in the mid-1970s. Her legacy still continues today including various Sanmao museums in mainland China and Taiwan, as well as Ruta Sanmao La Palma on the Canary Islands, Spain. Sanmao has been praised by both Chinese and Western media that she has inspired millions of women readers to adventures and her style of writing and worldviews about love and freedom have continued to capture the hearts of readers. In the 1960s, Sanmao first studied Philosophy in Taiwan, and went to further her studies at the Complutense University of Madrid; later she returned to Taiwan to teach foreign languages and creative writing, and eventually took her own life in 1991 despite her popularity and fame. Born and raised in a devout Christian family, Sanmao had come into contact with Chinese philosophies and religions such as Buddhism, and her interrelated religious views of both the East and the West have informed much of her writings. In this paper, I discuss the importance and impact of religion on her outlooks and writings, esp. regarding the themes of the meaning of life and salvation. Currently I am working on a "Reading Sanmao" project funded by the Research Grant Council, Hong Kong, and this is part of my research.
Development of New Age Spirituality in the Soviet Latvia Cultural Space and Its Legacy Nowadays View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Solveiga Krumina Konkova
The paper focuses on the emergence and growth of alternative spiritual practices and beliefs in Soviet Latvia during the late 20th century. As with any movement they were passionate, perceived new ideas, and formed their unique world vision. The esoteric ideas, close to the New Age spirituality, were among them. This spiritual search had several sources of influence, such as religious, philosophical and esoteric ideas popular in interwar Latvia and the impact of Western New Age movements. The role of Soviet Latvia's societal and political context in shaping the development of New Age spirituality is considered. For example, it was influenced not only by the cultivated requirements of the Soviet regime for the new man (Homo Sovieticus) but also by ideas of the occult and conspiracy theories integrated into the so-called 'Soviet spirituality'. The paper explores specific New Age practices and beliefs that gained popularity in Soviet Latvia and the impact of New Age spirituality on individuals' personal development in Soviet Latvia. The responses of the Soviet state and the establishment to the spread of New Age spirituality in Latvia are also noted. Finally, the paper analyses whether the New Age spirituality's legacy created in the Soviet cultural space has impacted contemporary Latvian society.
