Table of Contents
- QUERY> Burma crisis, Buddhist crisis
- Re: QUERY> Burma crisis, Buddhist crisis
- FELLOWSHIP> Oxford: Two doctoral studentships in the Study of Religion
QUERY> Burma crisis, Buddhist crisis
by Magnus Fiskesjö
Dear colleagues,
I have question: What is the debate within Buddhology about
the alleged Buddhist support for ethnic cleansing and genocide in Burma and the
recent reports of the expulsion of over half a million people from
Myanmar/Burma? As a follow-up, I'd like to ask what debate there has been within Burmese
Buddhism, if any?
Over the last month or so, according to reports, over half a
million people have been driven out of Burma in a campaign of ethnic cleansing
of the Rohingya, longtime residents of Burma, a campaign organized and led by
the country's armed forces, together with local buddhist vigilante squads,
burning villages and so on. These actions apparently have widespread support
among the country's majority Buddhists and are even encouraged by them,
especially by violent extremists among them. The New York Times had an
interesting piece this week, claiming that many Buddhists join in an almost
genocidal sort of rhetoric [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/24/world/asia/myanmar-rohingya-ethnic-cleansing.html]
-- interestingly propagated through Facebook, the predominant "fake news”
platform in the country. It is further reported that the country’s Armed Forces
Commander continues to try to justify the campaign by arguing these people do
not belong in his country, coinciding with the rhetoric from Buddhists who want
to expel or even kill their fellow citizens.
I know there is some literature on violent Buddhists in
history, and even on the recent trend of ultranationalist Buddhists turning
nasty and violent in several countries, but I am curious, is there any debate
among Buddhologists about how Buddhism could be currently and specifically
mobilized for horrendous genocidal rhetoric about fellow human beings? To me,
the current rhetoric at times sounds a lot like the Islamic State or Al Qaeda.
I saw the interview with Bénédicte Brac de la Perrière in Le Monde [http://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2017/10/08/birmanie-voir-les-evenements-comme-un-conflit-religieux-empeche-de-voir-les-choses-telles-qu-elles-sont_5197880_3232.html],
but not much else.
And what about the debate that must exist within Burmese
Buddhism? For example, I have read that one Buddhist monk in Burma, Wirathu
(who reportedly speaks of his fellow countrymen as insects, etc., and who
compared himself to Osama Bin Laden), was silenced by the national sangha for a
year. Also, I have seen movies such as "Portraits of Diversity" by
Kannan Arunasalam (trailer at KannanArunasalam.com) which showed thoughtful, decent
Burmese Buddhist abbots respectfully coexisting with imams and priests in their
towns and collaborating to quash incoming rumors spread to incite violence.
Perhaps these groups, which I see as forces of decency within Buddhism, may now
have been overwhelmed by the propaganda, but have they been entirely silenced?
Or is there a continuing debate? If so, what do Buddhologists know about it?
Many thanks for any enlightenment.
Magnus Fiskesjö
Cornell University
PS. There are two upcoming public events at Cornell on the
Rohingya crisis:
October 30, 4:30 pm, Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium, Goldwin
Smith Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14850
—Gayatri Spivak, “The Rohingya conflict in a global context”
and
November 7, 4:30pm, Rawlings Auditorium, Klarman Hall,
Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14850
—Michael Charney, “The Long and Short Term Roots of the
Rohingya Crisis: The Eradication of a Myanmar Ethnic Group,” discussion, with
Eaint Thiri Thu
Re: QUERY> Burma crisis, Buddhist crisis
by Paul Fuller
Hi Magnus,Michael Jerryson makes some excellent points over at the Berkley Forum: ‘Buddhist Inspired Genocide: Responding to Religion and the Persecution of Rohingya Muslims.’
Although not on the recent crisis (or the recent part of it), The Journal of Contemporary Asia (2017, 47:3), has several brilliant articles on Buddhist-Muslim tensions in Myanmar.
These might be the best places to start.
Best wishes,
Paul
Dr Paul Fuller
Lecturer in Buddhist Studies
School of History, Archaeology and Religion
Cardiff University
John Percival Building
Cardiff
CF10 3EU
Email: paulf@cardiff.ac.uk
Dr Paul Fuller
Darlithydd Astudiaethau Bwdhaidd
Yr Ysgol Hanes, Archaeoleg a Chrefydd
Prifysgol Caerdydd
Adeilad John Percival
Caerdydd
CF10 3EU
Ebost: paulf@caerdydd.ac.uk
FELLOWSHIP> Oxford: Two doctoral studentships in the Study of Religion
by Jan Westerhoff
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UNIVERSITY
OF OXFORD
FACULTY OF
THEOLOGY AND RELIGION
LADY
MARGARET HALL
TWO
DOCTORAL STUDENTSHIPS IN THE STUDY OF THE RELIGIONS
The Faculty of
Theology and Religion, University of Oxford, intends to offer two three-year
studentships, covering University tuition and College fees at the Home/EU or
Overseas rate, as well as providing a maintenance grant (up to £14,990 in the
first year, and increased by inflation for each year thereafter) to doctoral
students intending to write a dissertation on a topic falling within the study
of the Abrahamic Religions, the study of Buddhism, the study of Hinduism, the
study of Islam, the study of Judaism or the study of religions. The successful
candidates will be graduate students in the subject group of the Study of
Religions in the Faculty of Theology and Religion (http://www.theology.ox.ac.uk/home)
and Lady Margaret Hall (http://www.lmh.ox.ac.uk/)
where they will be Scholars of the College with the attendant privileges,
including offer of single accommodation in the College’s Graduate Centre for
three years (charged at the usual rates).
The Study of
Religions subject group covers a wide range of approaches to the Abrahamic
religions, Jewish studies, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam (from historical and
textual, to philosophical and theological, to sociological and ethnographic).
There is also a strong interest in the social scientific study of religion– sociological,
anthropological, and psychological – each with an important body of empirical
studies and accompanying theories. Teaching in the subject group draws on all
these strands and has a strong interest both in the diversity of religious
practices worldwide and in the history of their study. Subject
co-ordinator is Professor Anna Sapir Abulafia, Professor of the Study of the
Abrahamic Religions, and Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall.
The successful
candidates will have an excellent Master’s degree in Theology or in the Study
of Religion or other Field which includes studies germane to the advertised
studentship, or will have completed all the elements of such a degree by
September 2018. They will be expected to have made an application for doctoral
study in the Oxford Faculty of Theology and Religion and Lady Margaret Hall
by Friday, 19 January 2018 and to have met the usual
criteria for acceptance.
Candidates
should list Lady Margaret Hall as their preferred college when applying.
The successful
candidates will be eligible for such conference grants as are open to other
doctoral students in the Faculty of Theology and Religion. They will be
subject to such procedures for transfer and confirmation of status as are
prescribed in the regulations, and the award will be terminated if doctoral
status is suspended for any reason. The award is not renewable after
three years of full-time doctoral study.
Applicants for
the award should write to graduate.enquiries@theology.ox.ac.uk by Friday,
19 January 2018. They should supply a one-page CV/resumé,
including details of their educational experience (including full information
about all courses taken at Master’s level and the title of any dissertation or
thesis undertaken in that context), and a supporting statement of approximately
500 words describing their intended research project and explaining how their
research falls within the area covered by this studentship. The awarding
committee will assess applications also on the basis of the materials submitted
for the doctoral application to the Faculty, which need not be submitted twice;
candidates should ask their three referees, however, to refer directly to their
suitability for this studentship in the references they write in support of the
doctoral application.
**************************
JC Westerhoff
Lady Margaret
Hall
University of
Oxford
Norham Gardens
Oxford OX2 6QA
United Kingdom
