If Buddhism is to remain relevant to the contemporary era, through providing effective solutions to the proliferating and protean discursive problems encountered by its present-day practitioners, it cannot continue to ignore the role of discourse in the formation of subjectivity. In the interest of problematizing such 'ignorance, ' this book explores the potential interface between Foucaultian discourse analysis and the development of an indigenous rationale for the practice of contemporary Western Buddhism, along with the growing significance of such a rationale for 'traditional' Buddhism in...

A tribute to Garry Winston Trompf (b.1940) with critical discussion of his work in relation to the religions of Oceania, millenarianism, payback

Volume one of Theorizing Rituals assembles 34 leading scholars from various countries and disciplines working within this field. The authors review main methodological and meta-theoretical problems (part I) followed by some of the classical issues (part II). Further chapters discuss main approaches to theorizing rituals (part III) and explore some key analytical concepts for theorizing rituals (part IV). The volume is provided with extensive indices.