Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Old Wisdom in the New World: Americanization in Two Immigrant Theravada Buddhist Temples

Old Wisdom in the New World: Americanization in Two Immigrant Theravada Buddhist Temples

Numrich, Paul David

Paperback

AnthropologyBuddhism

ISBN10: 1572330635
ISBN13: 9781572330634
Publisher: University of Tennessee Press
Published: Aug 31 1999
Pages: 208
Weight: 0.68
Height: 0.47 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Focusing on two well-established institutions--one in Chicago, the other in Los Angeles--Old Wisdom in the New World is the first systematic examination of the growing presence of Theravada Buddhist temples in the United States.

Paul David Numrich's socio-historical analysis highlights a number of classic Americanization themes of establishment, growth, and adaptation. These have surfaced, the author shows, in debates over the retention of Old World culture and language, the problem of the second generation, and the role of the laity in religious institutions. Going beyond such familiar themes, Numrich also uncovers the intriguing phenomenon of ethnically defined parallel congregations in these temples, as he reveals the ways in which Asian-immigrant Buddhists and American converts pursue substantively different expressions of the Theravada tradition under the direction of a shared clerical leadership, the resident monks.

In the author's view, these Theravada case studies underline the complexity of the present Americanization process. By examining the intersection of two important trends--the steady growth of Asian immigration and an increasing indigenous interest in new religious movements, especially those of Asian origin--this book points to some fascinating new directions for the study of religious and cultural diversity in the United States.

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