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Buddhism By Other Means: Sacred Sites and Ritual Practice Among Sri Lankan Domestic Workers in Jordan

Buddhism By Other Means: Sacred Sites and Ritual Practice Among Sri Lankan Domestic Workers in... The present article examines religious practice in the everyday lives of Sri Lankan women working in Jordan. As a minority in a predominantly Muslim country, Buddhist migrants lack some of the supernatural and social resources they may otherwise tap into in times of need. Rather than forgoing ritual activities during their sojourns, Buddhists and Roman Catholics alike use Christian churches as arenas for the making and fulfilling of ritual vows. Many Buddhists also attend Catholic and Pentecostal church groups. Yet, despite the adaptive use of Christian sites of worship by Buddhists, this is not a case of Buddhism transformed. These activities should be understood as Buddhism by other means, a further instance of a personalised and pluralist approach to the divine. This analysis emphasises the affective, emotional dimensions of religious practice. It shows how ritual activities and participation in church groups play important roles, both moral and material, for Sri Lankans in the diaspora. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology Taylor & Francis

Buddhism By Other Means: Sacred Sites and Ritual Practice Among Sri Lankan Domestic Workers in Jordan

Frantz, Elizabeth
The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology , Volume 11 (3-4): 25 – Sep 1, 2010
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25 pages

Buddhism By Other Means: Sacred Sites and Ritual Practice Among Sri Lankan Domestic Workers in Jordan

Abstract

The present article examines religious practice in the everyday lives of Sri Lankan women working in Jordan. As a minority in a predominantly Muslim country, Buddhist migrants lack some of the supernatural and social resources they may otherwise tap into in times of need. Rather than forgoing ritual activities during their sojourns, Buddhists and Roman Catholics alike use Christian churches as arenas for the making and fulfilling of ritual vows. Many Buddhists also attend Catholic and...
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
Copyright The Australian National University
ISSN
1740-9314
eISSN
1444-2213
DOI
10.1080/14442213.2010.511629
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The present article examines religious practice in the everyday lives of Sri Lankan women working in Jordan. As a minority in a predominantly Muslim country, Buddhist migrants lack some of the supernatural and social resources they may otherwise tap into in times of need. Rather than forgoing ritual activities during their sojourns, Buddhists and Roman Catholics alike use Christian churches as arenas for the making and fulfilling of ritual vows. Many Buddhists also attend Catholic and Pentecostal church groups. Yet, despite the adaptive use of Christian sites of worship by Buddhists, this is not a case of Buddhism transformed. These activities should be understood as Buddhism by other means, a further instance of a personalised and pluralist approach to the divine. This analysis emphasises the affective, emotional dimensions of religious practice. It shows how ritual activities and participation in church groups play important roles, both moral and material, for Sri Lankans in the diaspora.

Journal

The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology – Taylor & Francis

Published: Sep 1, 2010

Keywords: Sri Lankan Diaspora; Theravada Buddhism; Protestant Conversion; Popular Religiosity; Domestic Workers; Labour Migration; Middle East

References

  • ‘Renewable icons: Concepts of religious power in a fishing village in south India’
  • ‘Bara: Buddhist vows at Kataragama,’
  • ‘Negotiating relationships with the goddess,’
  • ‘Philippine ban on sending domestic helpers remains’
  • ‘Exported and exposed: Abuses against Sri Lankan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates’
  • ‘Possession and confession: Affliction and sacred power in colonial and contemporary Catholic south India’
  • ‘About NCEASL’ (website)
  • ‘The migration–development nexus: Sri Lanka case study’
  • ‘In the company of Pirs: Making vows, receiving favors at Bangladeshi Sufi Shrines’