Virtual orientalism : Asian religions and American popular culture
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Bibliographic Information
Virtual orientalism : Asian religions and American popular culture
Oxford University Press, 2011
- : pbk
- : hardback
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Note
Bibliography: p. [193]-204
Includes index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Saffron-robed monks and long-haired gurus have become familiar characters on the American pop 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. Initial engagements with Asian spiritual heritages were mediated by monks, gurus, bhikkhus, sages, sifus, healers, and masters from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds and religious
traditions. Virtual Orientalism shows the evolution of these interactions, from direct engagements with specific individuals, to mediated relations with a conventionalized icon. 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 non-sexual, solitary Monk, who generously and purposefully shares his wisdom with the West, Asian religiosity is made manageable - psychologically, socially, and politically - for American popular culture.
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Zen's Personality - D.T. Suzuki
- Hyperreal Samadhi - Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
- The Monk Goes Hollywood - Kung Fu
- Conclusion - Spiritual Romance Today
- Bibliography
- Index
by "Nielsen BookData"