Continuity and Transformation of Rural Communal Temples in Vietnam
A Case Study of Tân Chánh Village, Long An Province
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2504016 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Thị Phương Lan Ngô, Ngo Thi Phuong Lan (0000-0002-1061-5418, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City), Ngoc Tho Nguyen (0000-0002-1777-5908), Tho Ngoc Nguyen (0000-0001-9386-0509, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 249-282 |
| Publication date | 2021-07-30 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1823-6243 • E-ISSN: 1823-6243 |
| Publisher | Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia (PUBLISHER • MY) |
| DOI | 10.21315/ijaps2021.17.2.10 |
| OpenAlex | W4233782622 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 10 |
Vietnamese communal temples (đình làng) were primarily established with two functions: (1) as a state-patronised institution to organise and control the village politically and culturally and (2) as a place of worship of village deities and meritorious predecessors. Both functions interact and complement each other - in many cases, the second serves as both a 'means' and 'technique' to deploy the first. However, nowadays the administrative role is no longer available; instead, the spiritual aspects are on the rise as a response to the increasing interaction of Buddhism, Caodaism, and folk beliefs as well as the impact of economic development and urban migration. Village elders learn to organise the temple into a communal socio-cultural institution, whereby cross-village temples have formed a cultural nexus of 'power'. This study finds that while several transformed into the form of 'temple of heroes', Tân Chánh temple has been mobilised and transformed into a civic 'religious and socio-cultural centre' at the grassroots level. The socio-economic background of the area has caused such transformation. While the practical demand for communication and emotional exchanges among village members vividly ensures the continuity of the temple's tradition, the loss of direct state control paves the way for its transformation. Both continuity and transformation govern the current religious activities of Tân Chánh temple but there is always a challenge to compromise and integrate these two directions. However, the remaining function of god worship by which rituals are performed as 'cultural agents' still binds the villagers together and gives them access to crossing boundaries
Archaeology · Buddhism · Grassroots · Institution · Nexus (standard · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Social science · Sociology · State (computer science · Urban village · Vietnamese · Worship · Chinese history and philosophy · Engineering · Gender Studies · History · Law · Philosophy · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.33 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2023 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |