Volume 6: Abstracts
"THE VOC IN BURMA: 1634
1680" by Wil O. Dijk.
This article is intended to show that the archives of the Dutch East India Company (VOC)
at the General State Archives (ARA), The Hague, The Netherlands, are a rich source of
information on seventeenth century Burma. Because this unearthed data is mostly about
commerce, this paper deals with the VOCs trade with Burma. What has come to light is
that the Dutch factories in Burma were an important and integral part of the VOCs
network of trade, seeing that the profits helped to fund the purchase of Indian textiles
that were the backbone of much of the Dutch inter-Asian trade. The Dutch, moreover, sold
Burmese export products profitably from Persia to Japan and Holland. In the end, the
VOCs establishment in Burma became the victim of a general change in Dutch fortunes
when forces in both Europe and the Far East began working against the Dutch East India
Company.
"A GLIMPSE INTO THE TRADITIONAL MARTIAL
ARTS IN BURMA" by Michael Martin
The traditional martial arts are an aspect of Burmese culture that
has been virtually ignored by Burma scholars. Yet these martial arts have a rich heritage
dating back to the early days of Burma. Historic events, religion, political necessities,
and, more have shaped them recently into economic realities. The traditional martial art
came close to extinction during the British colonial period, but was revived during the
Japanese occupation. In past times, they were utilized for warfare and self-defense. Today
the self-defense element remains, while the combat element has been transformed into
sports and artistic cultural expression. The present economic conditions and the spread of
foreign martial arts pose a current threat to the survival of the Burmese traditional
martial arts and require the attention of Burma scholars to document this important
component of the historic cultural identity of Burma
"VENERATING THE BUDDHA'S REMAINS IN
BURMA: From Solitary Practice to the Cultural Hegemony of Communities" by
Juliane Schober
The veneration of Buddha relics and images is a neglected, yet
central organizing principle of Theravada culture and religious practice. My essay is
informed by a historised understanding of Eliade's hierophany, a manifestation of a
universal Buddhist sacred reality that defines and identifies cultural orders at the
centers of local, historical contexts. I further rely on Bells' work on ritual and
Gramsci's writings on hegemony to describe Burmese veneration of the Buddha's
remains in diverse social and religious contexts. These range from the solitary practice,
meditation and personal service in the Ananda mode to the Royal mode that defines social
hierarchy in public rituals and expresses socio-religious aspirations of individuals and
communities through culturally salient metaphors
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