Goddess on the Frontier

Religion, Ethnicity, and Gender in Southwest China

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Eastern Religions, Buddhism
Cover of the book Goddess on the Frontier by Megan Bryson, Stanford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Megan Bryson ISBN: 9781503600454
Publisher: Stanford University Press Publication: November 2, 2016
Imprint: Stanford University Press Language: English
Author: Megan Bryson
ISBN: 9781503600454
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Publication: November 2, 2016
Imprint: Stanford University Press
Language: English

Dali is a small region on a high plateau in Southeast Asia. Its main deity, Baijie, has assumed several gendered forms throughout the area's history: Buddhist goddess, the mother of Dali's founder, a widowed martyr, and a village divinity. What accounts for so many different incarnations of a local deity?

Goddess on the Frontier argues that Dali's encounters with forces beyond region and nation have influenced the goddess's transformations. Dali sits at the cultural crossroads of Southeast Asia, India, and Tibet; it has been claimed by different countries but is currently part of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. Megan Bryson incorporates historical-textual studies, art history, and ethnography in her book to argue that Baijie provided a regional identity that enabled Dali to position itself geopolitically and historically. In doing so, Bryson provides a case study of how people craft local identities out of disparate cultural elements and how these local identities transform over time in relation to larger historical changes—including the increasing presence of the Chinese state.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Dali is a small region on a high plateau in Southeast Asia. Its main deity, Baijie, has assumed several gendered forms throughout the area's history: Buddhist goddess, the mother of Dali's founder, a widowed martyr, and a village divinity. What accounts for so many different incarnations of a local deity?

Goddess on the Frontier argues that Dali's encounters with forces beyond region and nation have influenced the goddess's transformations. Dali sits at the cultural crossroads of Southeast Asia, India, and Tibet; it has been claimed by different countries but is currently part of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. Megan Bryson incorporates historical-textual studies, art history, and ethnography in her book to argue that Baijie provided a regional identity that enabled Dali to position itself geopolitically and historically. In doing so, Bryson provides a case study of how people craft local identities out of disparate cultural elements and how these local identities transform over time in relation to larger historical changes—including the increasing presence of the Chinese state.

More books from Stanford University Press

Cover of the book Christian Flesh by Megan Bryson
Cover of the book The American Yawp by Megan Bryson
Cover of the book Inclinations by Megan Bryson
Cover of the book One Alliance, Two Lenses by Megan Bryson
Cover of the book Quest for Harmony by Megan Bryson
Cover of the book Terms of Labor by Megan Bryson
Cover of the book Inheriting the Future by Megan Bryson
Cover of the book Divergent Memories by Megan Bryson
Cover of the book African Americans Against the Bomb by Megan Bryson
Cover of the book Music from a Speeding Train by Megan Bryson
Cover of the book Diasporic Homecomings by Megan Bryson
Cover of the book Consuming Desires by Megan Bryson
Cover of the book The Real Problem Solvers by Megan Bryson
Cover of the book Stanford in Turmoil by Megan Bryson
Cover of the book More than Money by Megan Bryson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy