Local Practice and Trans-National Dynamics in Mainland Southeast Asia Religions: Historical and Contemporary Patterns.
23-24 February, 2007.
Wat Damnak, Siem Reap

In Southeast Asia, as in the rest of the world, religion has become a more and more salient issue as transnational processes break down traditional assumptions about the modern secular nation state. We invite scholars to take a fresh look at religion in the new social context? How well have Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity weathered the Communist and post-Communist eras? How are they affected by religious and secular influences from abroad? What has been the impact of evangelical Christianity, and how have Cambodians and other Southeast Asians reacted to it? How many young persons pursue a religious vocation, even for a short time? What do young people in urban areas believe, and what effect, if any, does religious teaching have on their behavior? What historical roots do current transnational patterns have? How is religious “tradition” remembered and reconstructed in the new social context. And finally, what comparisons can be made between what is happening in Cambodia and in neighboring countries (Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Burma)? These are only a few of the questions that need to be addressed in what would ideally contribute to a long-term, multi-disciplinary study, a regional approach which identifies and compares cross-border networks and patterns.

Please contact TITH Sreypich at [email protected] for other information.