Buddhist History in the Vernacular: The Power of the Past in Late Medieval Sri Lanka (Brill's Indological Library, V. 23) (No. 23) [Hardcover]

Stephen C. Berkwitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 2004 | Series: Brill's Indological Library, V. 23 (Book 23)

This is a careful study about the power attributed to historical narratives in early medieval Sri Lanka. On the basis of Sinhala histories of the Buddha and his relies this work sheds new light on historiography at work in a vernacular setting. Arguing that historical texts were both ethically and socially constructive, the author demonstrates that narrative representations of the past served the purpose to transform writers, readers, and listeners of history into virtuous persons, and therewith to generate moral communities. Focusing on the thirteenth-century Sinhala Thupavamsa, this book problematizes modern interpretations of Buddhist histories, compares the production of Pali and Sinhala texts, and examines how historical works were directed towards religious ends. A significant contribution to scholarship in Buddhist Studies, Comparative Literature, and Historical Criticism.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stephen C. Berkwitz, Ph.D. (1999) in Religious Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Southwest Missouri State University. He has written chiefly on the cultural history and contemporary expressions of Sri Lankan Buddhism.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 355 pages
• Publisher: Brill Academic Pub (August 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9004139109
• ISBN-13: 978-9004139107
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,139,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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