tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8870654412432358620.post4814833341902784450..comments2023-08-10T10:29:26.945-05:00Comments on Confessions of a Wayward Anthropologist: Association for Asian Studies 2009Kate Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10641244840697093899noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8870654412432358620.post-39071055051397930162009-04-17T17:03:00.000-05:002009-04-17T17:03:00.000-05:00Michael, I see your point. I don't think the cont...Michael, I see your point. I don't think the context of this panel allowed you to explore that fully -- given time limits, it was enough that you just laid out the worldview of the monks themselves. I do, however, see them as being in very different political positions vis-a-vis the state. Their 'labors' lead to very different political results. but that they 'labor' is fascinating and a really important point in Buddhist studies!Kate Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10641244840697093899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8870654412432358620.post-35497699648729037322009-04-14T11:31:00.000-05:002009-04-14T11:31:00.000-05:00Dear Kate, thank you for posting your thoughts. I ...Dear Kate, thank you for posting your thoughts. I actually attended a lot of the panels you did, and missed out on some, so this was a good review. <br /><br />I cannot agree more with your comments about the panel on The City in Motion. Why they would the subsequent panelists leave out images after Peleggi is beyond me. Peleggi's work with conspicuous consumption is an interesting bend, and I too was fascinated by Sarah Womack's theoretical construct (but, like you said, a bit abstract). <br /><br />In respects to my Monastic Labor paper, I am hoping people were able to receive it in a different context. The paper was not about comparing the Thai Dhamma to what the monks were doing, but rather the ramifications for Buddhist monks who politicize themselves -- either in opposition or in support of the Thai government. This was the purpose for the juxtaposition of environmentalism and militarism. <br /><br />What is interesting is how we ordinarily do not consider environmentalism akin or familiar to militarism (or violence), but there are more similarities than we might suspect.YSU Religious Studieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15856865454426597003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8870654412432358620.post-90177217637959918062009-03-30T13:32:00.000-05:002009-03-30T13:32:00.000-05:00HI KAte...stumbled on this blog and was delighted ...HI KAte...stumbled on this blog and was delighted to get a glimpse of the AAS meeting, since being in Italy has kept me from it this year. It was especially nice to read your take on Amy Singer's paper--we email conversed as she was starting the project and I was keen to learn more about her findings. Your synopsis reminded me of a terrific recent article on the way in which Medit. extra virgin olive oil has entered into the global imaginary. Did you see that article in AA a year --it came out in the past year or two and was entitled "Like an Extra Virgin." I assigned it for my globalization students here in Italy and I think it made them pause and reflect on our culturally constructed romanticization of the Southern Medit. as a "natural" region of healthy living and hand-made foods (contrary to some of the realities of contemporary extra virgin olive oil production)in juxtaposition with our Northern world of industrial production and non-healthful foods. If you have not seen the article, it is worth a look. OK...time to go finish writing lectures for my classes. We'll have to have a planning session re our book one of these days soon. I finish my teaching here in May, so will have some time then to immerse myself in things. <BR/>Thanks again for the conference synopsis!DASKMAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17797251321412149543noreply@blogger.com