Virtual orientalism : Asian religions and American popular culture / Jane Naomi Iwamura.

Author
Iwamura, Jane Naomi [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
  • New York : Oxford University Press, 2011.
  • ©2011
Description
xi, 214 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Availability

Copies in the Library

Location Call Number Status Location Service Notes
Firestone Library - Stacks BL2525 .I92 2011 Browse related items Request

    Details

    Subject(s)
    Summary note
    This book examines the contemporary fascination with Eastern spirituality and provides a cultural history of the representation of Asian religions in American mass media. Encounters with monks, gurus, bhikkhus, sages, sifus, healers, and masters from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds and religious traditions provided initial engagements with Asian spiritual traditions. It shows the evolution of these interactions, from direct engagements with specific individuals to mediated relations with a conventionalized icon: the Oriental Monk. Visually and psychically compelling, the Oriental Monk becomes for Americans a "figure of translation''--a convenient symbol for alternative spiritualities and modes of being. Through the figure of the solitary Monk, who generously and purposefully shares his wisdom with the West, Asian religiosity is made manageable--psychologically, socially, and politically--for popular culture consumption.
    Bibliographic references
    Includes bibliographical references and index.
    Contents
    • 1. Introduction
    • 2. Zen's personality / D.T. Suzuki
    • 3. Hyperreal Samadhi / Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
    • 4. The monk goes Hollywood / Kung Fu
    • 5. Conclusion / Spiritual Romance Today.
    ISBN
    • 9780199738601 ((hardcover ; : acid-free paper))
    • 0199738602 ((hardcover ; : acid-free paper))
    • 9780199738618 ((pbk. ; : acid-free paper))
    • 0199738610 ((pbk. ; : acid-free paper))
    LCCN
    2010017575
    OCLC
    613293394
    Statement on language in description
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