RT Article
T1 The Ambiguous Allure of Ashoka: Buddhist Kingship AS Precedent, Potentiality, and Pitfall for Covenantal Pluralism in Thailand
JF The review of faith & international affairs
VO 19
IS 2
SP 72
OP 87
A1 Larsson, Tomas 1966-
LA English
PB Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
YR 2021
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1760186082
AB In the course of the 20th century, Thai political elites fashioned a religiopolitical settlement that has a great deal in common with covenantal pluralism. They did so, furthermore, by rediscovering a historic precedent in the Indian emperor Ashoka, and reinterpreting the image of this paragon of Buddhist kingship so as to emphasize theological humility and a benevolent embrace of religious pluralism. Since the fall of the absolute monarchy in 1932, this Ashokan ideal has been reflected in the Buddhist Thai king’s constitutionally defined role as upholder of religions—in the plural. However, recent developments in Thailand highlight the difficulties associated with sustaining a tolerant and robustly pluralistic policy regime over time, and the inescapable normative trade-offs that this involves.
K1 Thailand
K1 memory politics
K1 Monarchy
K1 Secularism
K1 Buddhism
K1 Religious Minorities
DO 10.1080/15570274.2021.1917118