Affective Ethnographies of Buddhism, Sickness, Loss, and Grief

The suffering caused by sickness, aging, and death is central to Buddhist teachings. While Buddhist philosophers and teachers present these states of suffering as universal aspects of human experience, work by historians and anthropologists has shown that human experiences can differ greatly by cultural context. Our roundtable addresses how Buddhist practitioners in a range of Asian contexts interpret and experience “suffering” through local understandings of human subjectivity and relationships, particularly focusing on concepts of emotion, feeling, and affect. Presenters will draw on ethnographic research across Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma (Myanmar), and diaspora communities. Panelists will share vignettes from fieldwork and engage in a moderated discussion that addresses questions concerning (1) the ethics of writing about suffering, and (2) methodological ways to manage tensions between universal and particular representations of suffering through Buddhist cosmologies. This collaborative format will promote trans-disciplinary dialogue among Buddhist studies scholars, ethnographers, and affect theorists.