Can the Divine Pollute? An Ethnographic Enquiry into Contemporary Buddhist Spirit Mediumship in Bangkok

2019 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K12955
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Siani Edoardo 京都大学, 東南アジア地域研究研究所, 特定研究員 (50822003)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: Buddhism / Religion / Thailand / Spirit mediums

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

The JSPS funds enabled me to conduct multiple research trips to Thailand, where I successfully carried out short periods of fieldwork research with spirit mediums. During these periods, I collected data that both confirms and problematizes my proposed thesis, opening avenues for further research that I will carry out in the future when I am able to obtain new funds. The JSPS funds additionally enabled me to carry out trips to Europe, where I presented my tentative research fundings to international audiences. In Europe, Thailand as well as in Japan, I was also able to speak privately with specialists on Buddhism and spirit cults, who gave me usual comments about my ideas and research data. In London, I additionally carried out research using the resources kept at the British Library. Unfortunately, I had to return the funds for the second year of this project as I am leaving Kyoto University's CSEA because my contract has expired. As anticipated above, I nevertheless intend to continue carrying out this project and to publish my research results on international journals acknowledging the generous sponsorship received from JSPS. I also intend to publish this data in a book project on which I have already started working.