Burma at the Turn of the 21st Century

This is the first study in a half century of one of the least known societies in the contemporary world. __Burma at the Turn of the 21st Century__ provides insight into the everyday lives, concerns, and values of the people of this reclusive nation. Prominent anthropologists and religion scholars with in-depth, long-term knowledge of central Burma offer detailed analyses of the ways in which Burmese actively manage and create lives for themselves in the shadow of a military dictatorship. Their research crosses the domains of religious, political, and social life, examining public festivals and performance, local-state relations, literary life, lottery frenzies, mass meditators, political rumors and black humor, the value of children, changing male identities, and more in this impressive, wide-ranging collection. Introduction: Burma At The Turn Of The Twenty-first Century / Monique Skidmore -- Part 1: Spirituality, Pilgrimage, And Economics. The Cheaters: Journey To The Land Of The Lottery / Guillaume Rozenberg -- Women's Practices Of Renunciation In The Age Of Sāsana Revival / Ingrid Jordt -- The Taungbyon Festival: Locality And Nation-confronting In The Cult Of The 37 Lords / Bénédicte Brac De La Perrière -- Respected Grandfather, Bless This Nissan: Benevolent And Politically Neutral Bo Bo Gyi / Mandy Sadan -- Part 2: Political And Moral Legitimation. Buddhist Visions Of Moral Authority And Modernity In Burma / Juliane Schober -- Sacralizing Or Demonizing Democracy? Aung San Suu Kyi's Personality Cult / Gustaaf Houtman -- The Chicken And The Scorpion: Rumor, Counternarratives, And The Political Uses Of Buddhism / Keiko Tosa -- Part 3: Public Performance. Writing In A Crazy Way: Literary Life In Contemporary Urban Burma / Jennifer Leehey -- But Princes Jump!: Performing Masculinity In Mandalay / Ward Keeler -- Who's Performing What? State Patronage And The Tranformation Of Burmese Music / Gavin Douglas -- Part 4: The Domestic Domain. The Future Of Burma: Children Are Like Jewels / Monique Skidmore. Edited By Monique Skidmore. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 271-285) And Index.

This Chinese-English dictionary of proverbs (yanyu) consists of approximately 4,000 Chinese proverbs alphabetically arranged by the first word(s) (ci) of the proverb according to the Hanyu Pinyin transcription and Chinese characters (standard simplified), followed by a literal (and when necessary also a figurative) English translation. Additional data such as brief usage notes, sources, parallel expressions, cross-references, and famous instances of use are provided where available. The proverbs are supplemented by an index of key words (both Chinese and English) found in all entries and of all topics addressed. The author has provided a scholarly introduction analyzing the definition, structure, usage, and history of these yanyu in traditional and contemporary China as well as a bibliography of collections and relevant scholarly studies of yanyu.

This work, the first such scholarly collection to appear since the Reverend Scarborough's 1926 collection, will be of use not only to sinologists in a wide variety of fields, including anthropology, literature, sociology, psychology, and history, but also to non-Chinese readers interested in Chinese culture or comparative ethnolinguistic and paremiological research.

Contents Acknowledgments 1. Introduction: Burma at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century Part 1: Spirituality, Pilgrimage, and Economics 2. The Cheaters: Journey to the Land of the Lottery 3. Women’s Practices of Renunciation in the Age of Sāsana Revival 4. The Taungbyon Festival: Locality and Nation-Confronting in the Cult of the 37 Lords 5. Respected Grandfather, Bless This Nissan: Benevolent and Politically Neutral Bo Bo Gyi Part 2: Political and Moral Legitimation 6. Buddhist Visions of Moral Authority and Modernity in Burma 7. Sacralizing or Demonizing Democracy? Aung San Suu Kyi’s “Personality Cult” 8. The Chicken and the Scorpion: Rumor, Counternarratives, and the Political Uses of Buddhism Part 3: Public Performance 9. Writing in a Crazy Way: Literary Life in Contemporary Urban Burma 10. “But Princes Jump!”: Performing Masculinity in Mandalay 11. Who’s Performing What? State Patronage and the Transformation of Burmese Music Part 4: The Domestic Domain 12. The Future of Burma: Children Are Like Jewels References Contributors Index