New from the Center for the Art of East Asia

Reconfiguring East Asian Religious Art: Buddhist Devotion and Funerary Practices

Edited by Wu Hung and Paul Copp

 

Within the realm of Buddhist art, death is often portrayed not as the end but instead as a new beginning. Examining how pre-modern East Asians related to death as a broad concept is often just as impactful in the study of their culture and artwork as is the study of how they lived from day to day. This volume of twelve chapters is divided into four sections titled "Death of the Buddha and Buddhist Icons," "Kinship and Commemoration," "Filial Piety and Politics," and "Constructing Ritual Space." These chapters explore the powerful transformations that took place within ancient Buddhist societies when the life an individual came to an end and took on new life in unique forms of religious art and architecture. Dealing with concrete historical examples, these essays not only delve deep into the tightly woven interpersonal relationships, loyalties, and intense devotion that led to the creation of these religious and societal practices, they also challenge both the modern scholar and general reader to see with fresh eyes and refigure how we experience, conceptualize, and understand East Asian religious art.

Contributions by:

Phillip E. Bloom, Madeleine Boucher, Sun-ah Choi, Liu Cong, Youn-mi Kim, Winston Kyan, Seunghye Lee, Sonya S. Lee, Wei-Cheng Lin, Kate Lingley, Kate Lingley, Katherine Tsiang, and Akiko Walley.

 

Published by:

The Center for the Art of East Asia, University of Chicago

Art Media Resources, Chicago

Exciting New Changes Ahead!

Thanks to your patience and support, we are pleased to announce our most expansive undertaking yet, the Paragon Book Project. For over half a century, we have provided hard-to-find resources on Asian art and culture to the American public. Now, it is with great pleasure that we announce this new venture to make foreign titles even more accessible.

Previously, when purchasing books online from the Far East, constraints and limitations have been an unavoidable part of the process. Either you're able to find the text you're searching for from a reputable bookseller at a significant markup, or you're stuck rummaging through the digital marketplace with few guarantees of quality. With Paragon Book Project, our goal is to provide customers with direct access to every major publisher in China. No more compromises or limitations, just the books that you need through a brand you trust. What's more is that we will provide this service to you without international shipping fees.

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Sincerely,

The Paragon Book Gallery Team

Paragon Book Project