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Buddhism and Iconoclasm in East Asia: A History
Author(s): Eric Reinders (Author), Fabio Rambelli (Author)
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
- Publication Date: 6 Sept. 2012
- Edition: First Tion ed.
- Language: English
- Print length: 256 pages
- ISBN-10: 1441145095
- ISBN-13: 9781441145093
Book Description
After outlining Buddhist attitudes towards materiality and its vulnerability, the authors propose a different and more inclusive definition of iconoclasm – a notion that is normally not employed in discussions of East Asian religions. Case studies of religious destruction in East Asia are presented, together with a new theoretical framework drawn from semiotics and cultural studies, to address more general issues related to cultural value, sacredness, and destruction, in an attempt to understand instances in which the status and the meaning of the sacred in any given culture is questioned, contested, and ultimately denied, and how religious institutions react to those challenges.
Editorial Reviews
Review
This book offers readers a richly textured history of East Asian visual cultures. But, the authors’ semiotic turn also provides us with valuable new ways to approach the study of cultures across historical periods, geographical areas, and academic disciplines. — Dr Richard Clay, Senior Lecturer in the History of Art at the University of Birmingham, UK Published On: 2012-07-25
This book makes an important contribution to the fields of cultural and religious studies, East Asian history, art history, and semiotics, and will be thoroughly enjoyed by both specialists and senior graduate students. — Anna Andreeva, Nichibunken/University of Heidelberg, DE ―
The Medieval History JournalAbout the Author
Eric Reinders is Associate Professor in the Department of Religion, at Emory University, USA.
