David N. Gellner, Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology, department of Human Sciences, Brunel University.
摘要
Max Weber's ideas have had enormous influence in theoretical sociology. But what he wrote about Asia has more often been cited by specialists to illustrate his errors rather than to derive inspiration. This collection of essays both engages with Max Weber's work, and attempts to use his general approach, combined with detailed ethnography from Nepal and Japan, to attack critical questions in the anthropology and sociology of Buddhism and Hinduism. These range from the relationship of Buddhist religious specialists (monks and priests) to shamanic practitioners, to the way in which Brahmanical ideals have spread through history and are expressed in a traditional Hindu city, to the question of how to frame sociological comparisons between similar religious systems in different cultures.
目次
Introduction PART I: GENERAL APPROACHES: Max Weber, capitalism, and the religion of India What is the anthropology of Buddhism about? Religion, politics, and ritual: remarks on Geertz and Bloch PART II: THE LEGITIMATION OF RELIGIOUS SPECIALISTS: Priesthood and possession: Newar religion in the light of some Weberian concepts Monkhood and priesthood in Newar Buddhism The Newar Buddhist monastery: an anthropological and historical typology 'The perfection of wisdom': a text and its uses in Kwa Bahah, Lalitpur PART III: FROM SOTERIOLOGY TO WORLDLY BENEFITS: Priests, healers, mediums, and witches: the context of possession in the Kathmandu Valley Portrait of a Tantric healer / with Uttam Sagar Shrestha Lay perspectives on health and misfortune in the Kathmandu Valley PART IV: HINDUISM AND HISTORY: Hinduism, tribalism, and the position of women: the problem of Newar identity From mandalic sacred centres to Communist strongholds! On the cities of the Kathmandu Valley Does symbolism 'Construct an urban mesocosm'? Robert Levy's Mesocosm and the question of value consensus in Blaktapur PART V: COMPARISON: For syncretism: the formation of Buddhism in Nepal and Japan compared Temples for life and temples for death: observations on some Shingon Buddhist temples in Tokyo
