Though a generation has passed since the massacre of civilians at My Lai; the legacy of this tragedy continues to reverberate throughout Vietnam and the rest of the world. This engrossing study considers how Vietnamese villagers in My Lai and Ha My—a village where South Korean troops committed an equally appalling; though less well-known; massacre of unarmed civilians—assimilate the catastrophe of these mass deaths into their everyday ritual life.Based on a detailed study of local history and moral practices; After the Massacre focuses on the particular context of domestic life in which the Vietnamese villagers interact with their ancestors on one hand and the ghosts of tragic death on the other. Heonik Kwon explains what intimate ritual actions can tell us about the history of mass violence and the global bipolar politics that caused it. He highlights the aesthetics of Vietnamese commemorative rituals and the morality of their practical actions to liberate the spirits from their grievous history of death. The author brings these important practices into a critical dialogue with dominant sociological theories of death and symbolic transformation.
#344511 in Books imusti 2001-10-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.27 x .47 x 5.51l; .60 #File Name: 0520232127199 pagesUniversity of California Press
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. listen to the mastersBy CustomerPublication of "Branching Streams;" the commentary on the Sandokai by Shunryu Suzuki is a great benefit to those of us learning about Zen; and life; here in the West. Also; to those of us who "practice" or try to learn about Zen without benefit of teachers; and the guided life of a monastery. With this book we are there with Zen monks; sitting in the Dharma Hall learning the wisdom passed down by the "ancient sages" from the golden age of Zen.Of course; this is also a great benefit to those; such as monks; living a life dedicated to enlightnenment and living the Way. I can't begin to explain the Sandokai itself; or Master Suzuki's insightful commentary--suffice it to say that its true wisdom presented in a skillful way to help anyone living the most more mundane and ordinary life.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Insights into Zen Buddhist practiceBy Michael DrouilhetZenji Suzuki is a master with a mission; to help us unenlightened get a deeper and clearer understanding of what his committed practice of zazen have lead him to: insight into his own nature - his "original face before he was born". He talks directly to us in a clear and non-esoteric way; a way designed to inform us and hopefully lead us into the same path he undertook many years ago. The path is not the understanding of the path; however; as he stresses to us. This book is the menu; but it is not the food.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. a special zen studies bookBy R. Jeffrey GoldsmithThis is an unusual poem from the 8th patriarch which is lovely. the commentary is pleasant and studious; trying to walk a fine line between academic and zen training to a student practicing. The tone of the teishos is delightful and very respectful of the patriarch's original intent. good selection.
