Tai Khun Buddhism And Ethnic-Religious Identity

Author: Karlsson, Klemens

Source: Contemporary Buddhism, Volume 10, Number 1, May 2009 , pp. 75-83(9)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

This article examines the Buddhist ethnic-religious identity expressed by the Tai Khun people of the Eastern Shan State of Myanmar. The author argues that they possess a double ethnic identity: on the one hand, they have an ethnic-political identity as a Shan people, while on the other hand, they have an ethnic-religious identity based on Yuan Buddhism and connected with the historical region of Lan Na. The article discusses the history, myth and cult of a Burmese Buddha image standing in the middle of the city of Chiang Tung and the ways in which religious visual culture expresses ethnic-religious identity.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/14639940902968939

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