Of Beggars and Buddhas: The Politics of Humor in the Vessantara Jataka in Thailand

by Katherine A. Bowie

Overview

In the Buddha's penultimate incarnation, he appears as the Prince Vessantara. Perfecting the virtue of generosity, he gives away all his possessions, and even hands over his two children to the beggar Jujaka. This story was once better known across Theravada Buddhist Southeast Asia than the life of the Buddha himself. In Thailand, regional retellings have included humor and sly antiroyalist themes, despite efforts by the Bangkok monarchy to suppress them. Focusing on Jujaka, Katherine A. Bowie traces variations of this famous story, noting changes from its historical emphasis on generosity in feudal society to new emphases on prosperity and tourism under capitalism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780299309541
Publisher:	University of Wisconsin Press
Publication date:	01/28/2020
Series:	New Perspectives in SE Asian Studies
Edition description:	1
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Katherine A. Bowie is the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is the author of Rituals of National Loyalty: An Anthropology of the State and the Village Scout Movement in Thailand.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations                
Acknowledgments                 
Note on Transliteration                      
 
Introduction: Of Monarchs, Monks, and Peasant Masses                 
 
Part I: Diversity in Humor
1 Central Thailand: Humor Defeated            
2 Northeastern Thailand: Humor Diverted                
3 Northern Thailand: Humor Delighted                    
 
Part II: The Politics of Diversity
5 Jujaka as Trickster: The Peasant Imaginaire            
6 Jujaka as Threat: Consolidating Control                 
7 Jujaka’s Rebirth under Global Capitalism              
 
Conclusion: The Journey’s End                     
 
Notes              
Bibliography              
Index              

Editorial Reviews

Provides historical justification for a new reading of the Vessantara Jataka and offers delightful ethnographic descriptions of its varied performance in several regions of Thailand. An excellent addition to Thai studies and to the understudied field of Southeast Asian literature.”—Justin McDaniel, author of The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magic Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand


“This fascinating, innovative study helps us grasp significant intersections of narrative, politics, and performance in Thai Buddhist culture.”—Stephen C. Berkwitz, author of South Asian Buddhism: A Survey

From the Publisher