In this presentation the lecturer will examine the interplay between knowledge transfer and the Christian mission in nineteenth-century Siam. From c. 1830 onwards, discussions on religion became a central arena of conflict between rival regimes of knowledge, confronting ‘traditional’ Thai Buddhist views on nature and man’s existence with the ideals and practices of science and rationality transmitted from Europe and the USA. He will argue that the Christian doctrine played a crucial role for the transformation of Siamese Buddhism into a ‘rational’ faith compatible with modern science, while the Christian mission was a failure in terms of conversions. ‘Modern’ Buddhism then not only became an important source for cultural self assertiveness in the face of Western colonialism, but also a central ideology for pushing Siamese claims for religious leadership in the Theravada Buddhist world.

Dienstag, den 24. Mai 2016
Zeit: 18 c.t.
Ort: Raum 124
Universität Hamburg
Asien-Afrika Institut
Edmund-Siemers-Allee 1,
Flügel Ost