[BOOKS: Mental Culture in Burmese C (r)

[drunoo@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: [BOOKS: Mental Culture in Burmese Crisis Politics (fwd)]

> Forwarded message:
> > Date: Wed, 12 May 1999 20:03:15 +0700
> > From: Len Lambourne <asiabook@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > Subject: Mental Culture in Burmese Crisis Politics
> > Dear friends of Burma,
> >
> >
> > Mingalabah,
> >
> > Almost daily Dr. Mathew Ciolek's Asian Studies WWW Monitor provides
> > little gems of information and last Friday was no exception.  There was
> > an advice about a new book on Burma:
> >
> >
> >  MENTAL CULTURE IN BURMESE CRISIS POLITICS:
> > AUNG SAN SUU KYI AND THE NATIONAL LEAGUE FOR DEMOCRACY.
> >
> > </underline></bold>
> >
> > The author is Dr. Gustaaf Houtman and the book is published by Tokyo
> > University of Foreign Languages, Institute for the Study of Languages and
> > Cultures.  400 pp. ISBN 4 87297 748 3.
> >
> >
> > Dr. Houtman has advised me that as is common with Japanese university
> > presses copies were printed and distributed to libraries and journals for
> > review.  He is now working on a second edition which should soon be on
> > the market.  This will be a commercial copy.
> >
> >
> > <bold><italic>Dr. Houtman will advise me when the copies are ready.  If
> > you would like to have advice on the book's publication, please let me
> > know.  This will enable The Asian Experts to order them when they are
> > published.
> 
> >
> > </bold>Extract from the press release:
> >
> >
> > "This book deals with the Buddhist dimensions underlying the politics of
> > Aung San Suu Kyi and the Burmese democracy movement in general.  Today,
> > Aung San Suu Kyi is identified in the international arena as an icon of
> > democracy hemmed in by conservative military forces.  Within the country,
> > however,  the military manipulates this 'foreign' sentiment as a welcome
> > addition to its propaganda armoury. It portrays Aung San Suu Kyi as a
> > puppet, an honorary ambassador of the foreigner who is driven by foreign
> > interests in disregard of her own native traditions. This book argues
> > that neither the international image of her, nor the military misuse of
> > her international image within the country come to terms with Burmese
> > political values as expressed in the Burmese language.

> >
> >
> > Gustaaf Houtman analyses military politics as a politics of authority
> > (<italic>ana)</italic> and confinement that emphasises the local
> > delineation of boundaries under the guise of benevolence, using the
> > discourse of culture, archeaology and race, and the threat of
> > imprisonment. By contrast, he analyses the democracy movement as politics
> > of influence <italic>(awza)</italic> that aims to transcend these
> > boundaries. This elaborates on political terminology in terms of Buddhist
> > mental culture leading to non-self <italic>(anatta)</italic>, promising
> > freedom from imprisonment and confinement. The ideals of the four
> > <italic>byama-so-taya</italic> - in particular loving-kindness
> > <italic>(metta)</italic> and compassion <italic>(karuna)</italic> - stand
> > for democracy, just as they have stood for ideal true socialist
> > government.  The senior NLD leaders have all closely identify with this
> > and with the practice of Buddhist mental culture in general.=20
> > Furthermore, though the lower forms of magic are more common amongst the
> > military, many retired military responsible for imprisoning and
> > disqualifying the NLD from office also proclaim to be engaged in the
> > practice of mental culture and patronise the same Buddhist meditation
> > centres. Mental culture, while strongly represented as democracy
> > politics, thus plays a role as a conciliatory third force in Burmese
> > politics.
> >
> >
> > The author decodes the present political situation in terms of
> > continuities with past colonial politics anf assesses commonalities
> > between the two sides. The book argues that, though association with
> > Buddhist ideas emphasising substantive commonalities in all forms of
> > life, Burmese political vocabulary itself has the promise within it to
> > promote reconcoliation in this divided polity."
> >
> >
> > <underline>____________________________________________________
> >
> > </underline>
> >
> > For further details about the book, please visit=20
> >
> >
> > URL http://homepages.tesco.net/~ghoutman/
> >
> >
> > Look  forward to hearing from you.
> >
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> >
> > Len
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Len Lambourne,
> >
> > The Asian Experts,
> >
> > Books about Southeast Asia,
> >
> > PO Box 497,
> >
> > RICHLANDS  QLD  4077
> >
> > Australia
> >
> >
> > Tel:  (61) 7-3278 7507
> >
> > Fax:  (61) 7-3278 7587
> >
> > Web:  http//:www.asiabooks.gil.com.au
> >
> > Email:  asiabook@xxxxxxxxxx
> >



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