Saffron-robed monks and long-haired gurus have become familiar characters on the American popular culture scene. Jane Iwamura 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. Virtual Orientalism 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. Iwamura's insightful study shows that though popular engagement with Asian religions in the United States has increased; the fact that much of this has taken virtual form makes stereotypical constructions of "the spiritual East" obdurate and especially difficult to challenge.
#1955705 in Books Oxford University Press USA 2015-04-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 5.90 x .80 x 8.60l; 1.00 #File Name: 0199663254256 pagesOxford University Press USA
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Not really about the battle.By Fred WehlingReaders looking for extensive details or new insights on how and why the Battle if Waterloo was fought will be seriously disappointed. Instead; most of this short volume surveys the societal memory and cultural impact of the conflict.1 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Oxford University Press Meets it's Waterloo.By Tom DalglieshInteresting idea; but poorly conceived. Despite the title; there are just 24 pages on the actual campaign and battle; a student survey; perhaps; containing several factual errors. Quite amazing for a publication by Oxford University Press; authored by Alan Forrest; a distinguished professor in England. Professor Forrest admits he is not a military historian and; clearly; this book was assigned to anyone willing to write something and rushed to press for the 200th anniversary. Post Waterloo events are interesting; but not what a book series on Great Battles should cover. Not recommended.4 of 8 people found the following review helpful. This book is a good and fun readBy j.c.van.zantenThis book is a good and fun read; but it lacks scientific relevance for historians outside Britain. For the memory of Waterloo in the Netherlands and Belgium for example Forrest did not use the important dissertation of Janneke Weijermars or the book on Waterloo by Johan Op de Beeck. He also did not read the biographies of the Orange kings published in 2013. William II; the prince of Orange; was educated in Britain (Oxford) by William Howley (the later archbishop of Canterbury) and saw himself almost as a British officer; rather than a Dutch one. This was very important for the trust Wellington put in him in Spain (1811-1813) and the Low Countries (1814-1815). All these publications are vital keys in understanding the story of Waterloo in the Netherlands and Belgium. Jeroen van Zanten; biographer of William II; departement of History; Amsterdam.
