The Regionalization of Local Buddhist Saints

Amulets, Crime and Violence in Post–World War II Thai Society

Bibliographic Data

ID6086782
AuthorsChalong Soontravanich (corresponding author)
Year2013
Volume28
Issue2
Pages179
Publication date2013-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0217-9520 • E-ISSN: 1793-2858
PublisherISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute (PUBLISHER • SG)
DOI10.1355/sj28-2a
OpenAlexW1991043362
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited6

The increase in crime and violence and the rising popularity of so-called Buddhist amulets in Thai society after World War II were directly related. While the cult of amulets had been long and widely practised among the Thai, it was only during the war years and thereafter, when crime and violence surged throughout the country, that the cult of Buddhist amulets grew dramatically in popularity. In the course of this increase in the popularity of amulets, those with the image of the Buddha or that of a Buddhist saint clearly established their supremacy over other non- or quasi-Buddhist amulets. Many highly respected “local” monks, living or dead, whose sanctity and amulets had previously been known largely to a closed circle of local followers now became more widely known. The prestige of the local saints grew and expanded beyond their local communities, encompassing a wider geographical region. The period saw what one may term the regionalization of local Buddhist saints in Thailand

Ancient history · Archaeology · Buddhism · Criminology · Political science · Sociology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · History · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies

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