Buddhism, Power and Political Order

Ian Harris is Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Cumbria and was Senior Scholar at the Becket Institute, St. Hugh's College, University of Oxford from 2001-4. He is co-founder of the UK Association for Buddhist Studies and has written widely on aspects of Buddhist ethics. His most recent book is Cambodian Buddhism: History and Practice (2005) and he is currently responsible for a research project on Buddhism and Cambodian Communism at the Documentation Center of Cambodia [DC-Cam], Phnom Penh.

'Most of the single chapters present new and highly interesting material and for scholars dealing with the region, and students with an interest in Buddhism and politics, this volume is essential reading' - Patrice Ladwig, University of Bristol, Southeast Asian Studies, Vol 40/3, 2009

• 1. Introduction - Buddhism, Power and Politics in Theravada Buddhist Lands Ian Harris 2. Idealism and Pragmatism: A Dilemma in the Current Monastic Education Systems of Burma and Thailand Khammai Dhammasami 3. Rajadhamma Confronts Leviathan: Burmese Political Theory in the 1870s Andrew Huxley 4. Colonial Knowledge and Buddhist Education in Burma Juliane Schober 5. Reconstructing the Cambodian Polity: Buddhism, Kingship and the Quest for Legitimacy Peter Gyallay-Pap 6. The Cambodian Hospital for Monks John Marston 7. Buddhism, Power, and Political Order in pre-Twentieth Century Laos Volker Grabowsky 8. Past, Present, and Future in Buddhist Prophetic Literature of the Lao Peter Koret 9. In Defence of the Nation: The Cult of Nang Thoranee in Northeast Thailand Elizabeth Guthrie 10. King, Sangha, and Brahmans: Ideology, Ritual, and Power in Pre-modern Siam Peter Skilling