"In Between a 'Feeling of Natural' and the Burmese Buddhist Order. An
Encountering with Burmese Spirit Possession"
A talk by Bénédicte Brac de la Perrière (CNRS-LASEMA)
Present: An audience of 35.
Introduction to Benedicte's talk:
KSM went on telling his version of what may be considered as the foundation
myth of the ritual specialists of the cult to the 'Thirty-Seven Lords'. This
version supports my hypothesis that spirit-possession as an urbanized and
professionalized practice, as it is practiced nowadays in Burma in the cult
context, must have developed during the last period of Burmese kingship, in
the second half of the 19th century, as an indirect consequence of a
reorganization of rituals to the tutelary spirits of Central Burma that were
then reshaped according to those of kingship and around the Court. An
ethnohistorical analysis of today's rituals to the tutelary spirits, and of
what is said or known of their development, shows that this reorganization
occurred as a reaction to the acute threat that British India was then
posing on Mandalay, which culminated in the Burmese kingdom's dismemberment
in 1885.
In her talk Bénédicte described a journey she undertook in her quest to
discover more about the practices of the spirit mediums of the cult of the
Thirty-Seven Lords.
"Politics in the Thai Parliament: Has much changed since the 1997
Constitution?"
A talk by Aaron Stern
Present: An audience of 26.
Aaron is a doctoral student at the Department of Political Science,
University of Michigan. His dissertation concerns the Thai House of
Representatives and its influence on government policy-making. He has spent
6 years in Thailand, working or doing research in various capacities.
Abstract: Thailand's current constitution mandated some major changes to the
Thai political system. Many of these changes had a direct impact on the
Thai parliament; for example, changing the election system for the House of
Representatives and creating a popularly-elected Senate. How much have
these changes affected the parliament? Focusing on the House of
Representatives, I will explore the impact of the current constitution from
a number of different angles: characteristics of members of the parliament,
how parliament makes laws, and how well the parliament monitors and
supervises the executive branch (i.e. the cabinet and Prime Minister).
A very informative and well-researched presentation.
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