The Ravenous Spirit (phii pob) Belief Tradition in Contemporary Thailand: Pluralistic Practices versus Monolithic Representation

dc.altmetrics.displayfalseen
dc.contributor.advisorFoster, Michael Dylanen
dc.contributor.authorWattanagun, Kanya
dc.date.accessioned2016-03-31T01:54:22Z
dc.date.available2016-03-31T01:54:22Z
dc.date.issued2016-03
dc.descriptionThesis (Ph.D.) - Indiana University, Folklore and Ethnomusicology, 2016en
dc.description.abstractThe ravenous spirit belief tradition in northeast Thailand is practiced variably in different belief communities. However, Thai academia and mass media exclusively draw on the abusive aspects of this belief tradition. The negative and monolithic representation reinforces the preconceived idea of the "superstitious" folk whose false logic generate barbaric social practices that need to be eliminated. Also, it reinforces a simplistic but dominant understanding among non-believers that ravenous spirit beliefs are practiced in the same way everywhere and generate abusive social practices in all contexts. In response to this problem, this dissertation illustrates three main points: (1) The ravenous spirit belief tradition is practiced variably in different social contexts. (2) The dominant discourses about the ravenous spirit belief tradition produced by Thai academia and mass media are problematic because they neglect the benign variants of the tradition. (3) Ravenous spirit beliefs, rather than reflecting a false logic, are believers' logical attempts to make sense of, and devise sensible reactions to, baffling and troublesome experiences.en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2022/20764
dc.language.isoen_USen
dc.publisher[Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana Universityen
dc.subjectfolk beliefen
dc.subjectnortheast Thailanden
dc.subjectphi poben
dc.subjectspiriten
dc.titleThe Ravenous Spirit (phii pob) Belief Tradition in Contemporary Thailand: Pluralistic Practices versus Monolithic Representationen
dc.typeDoctoral Dissertationen

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
The Ravenous Spirit Belief Tradition edited.pdf
Size:
10.55 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Can’t use the file because of accessibility barriers? Contact us with the title of the item, permanent link, and specifics of your accommodation need.