Buddhist Violence and Religious Authority

This volume is a tribute to the work of Michael Jerryson, one of the initiators of the academic discourse on Buddhism and violence whose intellectual pursuits have resulted in a trailblazing shift in the academic study of Buddhism. Preconceived in the modern west as a pacific, chiefly meditative practice aiming for personal salvation and world peace, Buddhism has been exposed in the last few decades for its manifold legacy of violence. This is apparent not only in Buddhist groups’ history of support for actual military aims, but in Buddhism’s association with religious nationalism and in its more subtle expressions of discursive and structural violence. This exposure is due in significant part to Michael Jerryson who, in addition to exploring this perhaps surprising Buddhist history, has investigated the dynamism of Buddhist authority. Most recently in his critique of U Wirathu, the Burmese Buddhist monk whose advocacy of Buddhist nationalism in Myanmar has stirred a boiling pot of anti-Muslim resentments, Michael Jerryson has shown that reverence for Burmese religious authorities transcends respect for traditional Buddhist doctrine and monastic accomplishments. It emanates instead from the phenomenon of religious authority itself and from the cultural institutions which support it. His examinations have resulted in heightened sensitivity to the sociology of religious authority and violence. The scholarly contributions in this volume include discussions of Buddhism and violence, religious authority and nationalism, whether Buddhist, Christian, white, or other.

Introduction: The Legacy of Michael Jerryson Margo Kitts and Mark Juergensmeyer Section I: Buddhism and Violence 1. Introduction Stephen Jenkins, Humboldt State University 2. Dharma and Its Discontents John M. Thompson, Christopher Newport University 3. Buddhists and International Law Ben Schonthal, University of Otago 4. Exorcising the Body Politic: The Question of Conversion at the Tibet-Mongol Interface Matthew King, University of California, Riverside 5. De-Centering the Normative in the Introduction to Buddhism Class Nathan McGovern, Franklin Marshall College 6. But is it Buddhist? Blaze Marpet, Northwestern University 7. Humanizing the Rohingya Beyond Victimization Grisel d'Elena, Florida International University Section 2: Religious Authority 8. Introduction: Religious Authority Matthew Walton, University of Toronto 9. Contested Authority: Evangelism as a Cultural System Julie Ingersoll, University of North Florida 10. Jerryson's "Exposure of Buddhism" and the Legacy of Violence in US War Culture Kelly Denton-Borhaug, Moravian College 11. Making Authority from Apocalypse: Three Cases from Classical Islam Jamel Velji, Claremont McKenna College 12. Affect in the Archives: Violence in Late Ancient Apocalyptic Texts Abby Kulisz, Indiana University 13. Religion, Authority Grammar: The Scholarly Legacy of Secular Concepts Andrew Atwell, University of Chicago

• Edited by Mark Juergensmeyer
• Edited by Margo Kitts

". . . reading the rich and diverse contributions to the book, it becomes clear that the topic has matured to spur new and fruitful analyses concerning the role of Buddhism in society and religion in society." Nilsen, Marte, Journal of Buddhist Ethics, Volume 30, 2023
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