Overview

The localisation of a region, group, or culture was a common social phenomenon in pre-modern Asia, but global colonialism began to affect the lifestyle of local people. What was the political condition of the relationship between insiders and outsiders? The impact of colonial authorities over religious communities has not received significant attention, even though the Asian continent is the home of many religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Shintoism, and Shamanism. Colonial Transformation and Asian Religions in Modern History presents multi-angled perspectives of socio-religious transition. It uses the cultural religiosity of the Asian people as a lens through which readers can re-examine the concepts of imperialism, religious syncretism and modernisation. The contributors interpret the growth of new religions as another facet of counter-colonialism. This new approach offers significant insight into comprehending the practical agony and sorrow of regional people throughout Asian history.

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9781527505599

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This is an important contribution to the modern history of Asian religions that brings out the complex interplay between colonialism and religious tradition. Professor Gavin FloodUniversity of Oxford This diverse and stimulating volume explores Asian religion in the social and political context of external power. Religion sits ambiguously in the political order, at once challenging and subverting outside forces, while being changed itself in the process. The rich diversity of chapters in this book reminds us that every aspect of modern Asian history has a profound religious dimension. Professor Robert CribbAustralian National University This volume reflects the historical perspective of modern Asia that the colonial period was the moment of socio-cultural transformation for local religions and beliefs. The various methods and theories of anthropology, arts, history, politic, sociology, and culture have been applied to regional case studies [here]. This book is a fascinating source for the readers of colonialism, Asian studies, cultural studies, religious studies, and gender. Professor Dongchul KimBusan National University

Author Information

David W. Kim, PhD, is a Visiting Fellow at the Department of Political and Social Change, the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University. He is Article Editor for SAGE Open Publications, as well as peer-reviewer for Asian Studies, and Korean Journal for Religious Studies. His publications include New Religious Movements in Modern Asian History (forthcoming 2018), Religious Encounters in Transcultural Society (2017), Religious Transformation in Modern Asia: A Transnational Movement (2015) and Intercultural Transmission in the Medieval Mediterranean (2012).

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