As Hawaiians continue to recover their language and culture; the voices of kupuna (elders) are heard once again in urban and rural settings; both in Hawai‘i and elsewhere. How do kupuna create knowledge and “tell†history? What do they tell us about being Hawaiian? Adopted by a Midwestern couple in the 1950s as an infant; Leilani Holmes spent much of her early life in settings that offered no clues about her Hawaiian past―images of which continued to haunt her even as she completed a master’s thesis on Hawaiian music and identity in southern California. Ancestry of Experience documents Holmes’ quest to reclaim and understand her own origin story. Holmes writes in two different and at times incongruent voices―one describing the search for her genealogy; the other critiquing Western epistemologies she encounters along the way. In the course of her journey; she finds that Hawaiian oral tradition links identity to the land (‘aina) through ancestry; while traditional; scholarly theories of knowing (particularly political economy and the discourse of the invention of tradition) textually obliterate land and ancestry. In interviews with kupuna; Holmes learns of the connectedness of spirituality and ‘aina; through her study and practice of hula kahiko comes an understanding of ancient hula as a conversation between ‘aina and the dancer’s body that has the power to activate historical memory. Holmes’ experience has special relevance for indigenous adoptees and indigenous scholars: Both are distanced from the knowledge agendas and strategies of their communities and are tasked to speak in languages ill-suited to the telling of their own stories and those of their ancestors. In addition to those with an interest in Hawaiian knowledge and culture; Ancestry of Experience will appeal to readers of memoirs of identity; academic and personal accounts of racial identity formation; and works of indigenous epistemologies. A website (www.ancestryofexperience.com) will include supplementary material.
#2279754 in Books University of Hawaii Press 2010-11-30 2010-11-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.10 x .90 x 6.10l; 1.15 #File Name: 0824833821224 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A study of Buddhism and politicsBy ArnoldJuliane Schober takes aim at the traditional Weberian depiction of Buddhism as an "otherworldly" religion. The book is essentially a recapitulation of Burmese history with a focus on Buddhist politics. She categorizes the role of Buddhist monks and ideology in Burma's various political debates. She's particularly insightful in trying to sort through the internal politics of the sangha; such as the tensions between the older and younger monks. The only improvement I would have suggested is a brief comparative section; comparing Burma's Buddhist politics with those of other Buddhist countries.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Is crossing swords with an old tome of 1916 worth doing?By Harvy LindThis thin monograph of six chapters or 150 pages (plus another fifty pages of end matter) offers the unremarkable thesis that Therevada Buddhist organizations and individuals have played a major role in Myanmar politics and society; including in opposition movements such as the late 1980s protests against the ruling military junta. In a country where something like 90% of the population in Theravada Buddhist; this is exactly what one would expect. The author sets up a sort of straw dog in taking issue with Max Weber's 1916 study of Hinduism and Buddhism; referring in the bibliography merely to the book's 1958 English translation and omitting the fact that Weber published it in 1916. Weber's book was an early sociological study that has been superseded in the several decades that have passed since its publication; so Schober's preoccupation with setting herself apart from Weber seems anachronistic. Although Weber did use the term "otherworldly" to characterize aspects of Hindu and Buddhist thought that lead some religious practitioners to separate themselves from the family and society as much as possible; he also acknowledged that these religions have also been intertwined with the societies in which they have been practiced; and thus have been functional and influential in society and politics. One could point to the example of the Mauryan king Ashoka; who converted to Buddhism and worked hard to spread the faith not only within India but also abroad. So the notion that Schober is somehow freeing us readers from the image of a politically passive and nonviolent Buddhist culture in Myanmar and elsewhere in the region is sorely mistaken. There are other problems with this study. The book's emphasis on the Buddhist majority also tends to obscure the significance of non-Buddhist minorities in Burmese border regions. Moreover; the book's contention that two more generations will be needed for Myanmar's "postcolonial project" to unfold has been overtaken by rapid movement in the direction of more political liberalization in recent years; as Aung San's legalized secular political party has emerged as a more powerful political force than the Buddhist organizations in which Schober has put so much stock. Overall; this book was conceptually disappointing and mediocre.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. For understanding religion-political identities in Myanmar; a must!By daniel murphreeAs someone who has worked closely with self-identified religious/political refugees from Myanmar and who is studying the subject at an academic level; Dr. Juliane Schober deals with the complexities of identity; historical; anthropological; religious tradition; political issues with finesse. My only critique was the level of waxing over political figure Aung San Suu Kyi; who is the darling of Liberal democratic movements. Her position on religious minorities remains to be seen. Also more might have been said regarding patron-client relationships in the delta region mentioned by Taylor in his work(s) on Myanmar. However; if there is anyone studying Myanmar political issues and they ignore this scholarship on religious makeup of the ethnic majority; their work is sure to come up short. Easy to read. Well sourced. Credibly published.
