CURRENT PROJECTS
My current research project picks up where my dissertation research leaves off, and by doing so returns to a fundamental question shared by Southeast Asian and Buddhist studies: the definition of Buddhism and its religious others, whether those others be considered ‘indigenous,’ ‘brahmanist,’ ‘Hindu,’ etc. My working hypothesis claims that Buddhism requires a non-Buddhist ‘audience’ and ‘other’ and that is creates these others through a process of controlling their spirits and establishing dominance. This project is based on fieldwork not included in dissertation writeup, and ongoing research into historical archives.
IN PRESS
“Weaving life out of death: the craft of the rag robe in Cambodian funerary ritual.” In Buddhist Funeral Cultures of Southeast Asia and China, Paul Williams and Patrice Ladwig, eds.
“Imagined parasites: flows of monies and spirits in Cambodia.” In Cambodia’s Economic Transformation, Caroline Hughes and Kheang Un, eds.
PUBLICATIONS
Erik W. Davis. 2008. “Between forests and families: death, desire, and order in Cambodia.” In People of Virtue: Reconfiguring Religion, Power, and Moral Order in Today’s Cambodia. Alexandra Kent and David P. Chandler, eds. (NIAS Studies in Asian Topics). University of Hawai’i Press.
Erik W. Davis. 2008. Review Essay. “Cambodge: the cultivation of a nation, 1860-1945,” by Penny Edwards, and “How to behave: Buddhism and modernity in colonial Cambodia, 1860-1930,” by Anne Ruth Hansen. Both of University of Hawai’i Press. Journal of Asian Studies. 67.3, pp. 1123-1127.
Erik W. Davis. 2008. “Imaginary conversations with mothers about death.” in At the edge of the forest: essays in honor of David Chandler. Anne R. Hansen and Judy Ledgerwood, eds. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Erik W. Davis. 2008. [Review] Forest Guardians, Forest Destroyers. The politics of environmental knowledge in Northern Thailand. By Andrew Walker and Tim Forsyth. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
Erik W. Davis. 2008. [Review] How to behave: Buddhism and modernity in colonial Cambodia, 1860-1930. By Anne Ruth Hansen. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2007. Published in Pacific Affairs 81.1.
Erik W. Davis. 2007. [Review]: “Out of the dark: revealing Cambodian history and religion.” a review of History, Buddhism, and new religious movements in Cambodia. John Marston and Elizabeth Guthrie, eds. 2004. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press. In H-Buddhism: an H-Net discussion list.
Erik W. Davis, Sor Sokny, Tan Bunly, Chor Chanthyda, Hel Rithy, Sok Ra, Phat Chantamonyratha, Hun Chantasocheata, Som Vanna, editors. Tossanavddey roeung preng khmaer tmey. (The magazine of new Khmer folktales: gender). Phnom Penh: Buddhist Institute, 2006. [pdf]
Erik W. Davis, Sor Sokny, Tan Bunly, Chor Chanthyda, Hel Rithy, Sok Ra, Phat Chantamonyratha, Hun Chantasocheata, Som Vanna, editors. Tossanavddey roeung preng khmaer tmey. (The magazine of new Khmer folktales: tricksters). Phnom Penh: Buddhist Institute, 2006. [pdf]
Erik W. Davis, Sor Sokny, Tan Bunly, Chor Chanthyda, Hel Rithy, Sok Ra, Phat Chantamonyratha, Hun Chantasocheata, Som Vanna, editors. Tossanavddey roeung preng khmaer tmey: karkatktey (The magazine of new Khmer folktales: place). Phnom Penh: Buddhist Institute, 2006. [this issue also contains stories relating to ritual and custom]. [pdf]
Erik W. Davis, translator [Khmer to English]. 2006. Cambodian wooden architecture. A disappearing heritage, edited by François Tainturier. Phnom Penh: Center for Khmer Studies.
Erik W. Davis. 2006. “Violence” Neil Whitehead, editor. [Review]. In Anthropological Forum 16 (2): 174-176.
Erik W. Davis, Sor Sokny, Tan Bunly, Chor Chanthyda, Hel Rithy, Sok Ra, Phat Chantamonyratha, Hun Chantasocheata, Som Vanna, editors. Tossanavddey roeung preng khmaer tmey: karkatktey (The magazine of new Khmer folktales: judgment). Phnom Penh: Buddhist Institute, 2005. [see also Khmer-language forward]. [pdf]
[Review] Reason’s traces: identity and interpretation in Indian and Tibetan Buddhist thought, by Matthew Kapstein. Published in Southern Asian Languages and Culture Bulletin, Spring 2003.
DISSERTATION
Erik W. Davis. “Treasures of the Buddha: Imagining Death and Life in Contemporary Cambodian Religion.” Diss., University of Chicago Divinity School. Approved 2009. Steven Collins, Advisor.
PRESENTATIONS
“Witches feed in secret: power, morality, and secrecy in modern Cambodia.” Cornell Anthropology Department Colloquium series in Ithaca. [Upcoming].
“Fertility, adoption, power. Moral and immoral practices in Cambodia.” American Academy of Religion, Montreal. 2009. [Upcoming].
“Children, dependency, and power in Cambodian religion.” University of Wisconsin-Madison Annual Conference on South Asia in Madison, Wisconsin [Upcoming].
“Buddhism makes Brahmanism. Entities and erotics in Cambodian religion.” Keynote Address at SEASSI (Southeast Asian Summer Studies Institute) 2009 Student Conference, July 25.
“Imagined parasites: flows of Cambodian monies and spirits.” Cambodia’s Economic Transformation conference, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, January 2009.
“Mourning and memory in contemporary Cambodia: the Day of Hate in local and international discourses,” International Association of Buddhist Studies Congress, Atlanta, GA, 2008.
“Kinship beyond death: ambiguous relations and autonomous children in Cambodian Buddhism.” Association of Asian Studies, Atlanta. 2008.
“Foodgetting, ritual, and value in contemporary Cambodia.” Public lecture at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 2007
“Visionary Deaths in Cambodia: social imaginaries of agriculture and death.” Society for the Anthropology of Religion in Phoenix, Arizona. 2007
“Chanting death and binding life: two funerary subrituals in Cambodian Buddhism.” Association of Asian Studies in Boston, Massachusetts. 2007
Erik W. Davis. n.d. “The pretas are coming! Ghostly metaphors of city and country in Cambodia.” 55th meeting of the Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs in Madison, Wisconsin.
“Conceptualizing religious change and diversity in mainland Southeast Asia.” Guest Lecturer at the Center for Khmer Studies, Researcher Training Program. Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 2006.
“Ethnicity and ritual practices: action becomes identity.” Guest Lecturer, Center for Advanced Study. Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 2006.
“Agriculture, religion and ethnicity in the Mekong Basin – ‘heterogeneous assemblages’ and the dependent origination of ethnic identity.” Rethinking Mainland Southeast Asia Conference at the Center for Khmer Studies. 2006.
“Grounding Buddhism: representations, practices, and local geography.” Socio-Cultural Research Congress on Cambodia. 2005.
“Between forests and families: a remembered past life in Pre-DK Cambodia.” Reconfiguring Religion, Power, and Moral Order in Cambodia. 2005.
“Bodies Politic: fetishization, identity, and contests over Native American Dead.” Mid-Atlantic Popular/American Culture Association Conference. 2001.
“Indices of Authority: character and the construction of authority in the Pali Canon.” Graduate Student Buddhist Studies Conference. 2001.
“Bodies of Knowledge: The Tug of War over Native American Dead.” Religion, Identity, and Reconciliation Graduate Student Conference. 2001.
Macalester Talks Podcast, July 24 2009. In which I discuss Cambodia’s economic situation. Listen here. Archives here.
March 2009. “Independent Unionism in Cambodia. Severe Challenges as Garment Industry Takes Hit.” Industrial Worker. 106.2, pp. 1, 3.
June 2008. “Militant, independent, All-Cambodian Union. Union perseveres despite murders, threats.” Industrial Worker. 105.4, p. 15.
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