Spirit Possession in Buddhist Southeast Asia

Spirit possession was typically ignored by the early scholars of Southeast Asian Buddhism. A seeming relic of pre-Buddhist religiosity, it resided in the shadows of already marginal religious phenomenon such as spirit cults, divination and magic. Since the 1990s, however, an increasing number of scholars have re-examined spirit mediums and spirit possession in mainland Southeast Asia as thoroughly modern and contemporary phenomenon. A new edited volume, Spirit Possession in Buddhist Southeast Asia: Worlds Ever More Enchanted, builds on this work by bringing together multiple generations of scholars in order to explore spirit possession within an explicitly regional frame. As a contributor to this collection, in this talk I will discuss how these case studies challenge us to reinterpret the history and meaning of spirit possession in mainland Southeast Asia, to rethink the character and dynamics of Buddhism in the region, and to reassess the religious dynamics of contemporary Southeast Asian society and culture.  Video includes presentation and an extended Q&A with audience members.