Halafoff, A, Tomalin, E orcid.org/0000-0001-7722-1192 and Starkey, C orcid.org/0000-0002-7807-6617 (2022) Gender equality and digital counter-publics in global Buddhism: bhikkhuni ordination in the Thai Forest Tradition in Australia. Journal of Contemporary Religion, 37 (1). pp. 71-88. ISSN 1353-7903
Abstract
Gender discrepancies persist in Buddhist societies and institutions, linked to cultural and religious beliefs and practices that allocate a lower status to women. In some Buddhist traditions, nuns cannot ordain to the same level as monks, most Buddhist archetypes of enlightenment remain male, and men hold positions of power and privilege within the majority of Buddhist organisations. This article focuses on recent controversy surrounding bhikkhuni ordination in the Thai Forest Tradition in Australia and the role of the Internet in these debates. The authors draw on data collected in interviews with key figures in Buddhism in Australia, including Venerable Chi Kwang Sunim, Ayya Nirodha, Ajahn Brahmavamso Mahathera, and Bhante Sujato, recorded as part of the “Buddhist Life Stories of Australia” research project. We argue that the international Buddhist women’s movement and its allies are creating and using digital counter-publics to advance gender parity in contemporary Buddhism. Online activism has not only accelerated the pace of progressive social change, but it has also been used by more conservative actors to try to thwart these changes and maintain their authority, although less successfully.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an author produced version of an article published in Journal of Contemporary Religion. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Buddhism, gender, the Internet, digital counter-publics, Australia |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science (Leeds) > Theology and Religious Studies (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 14 Jul 2020 10:15 |
Last Modified: | 14 Sep 2023 00:13 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/13537903.2021.2020442 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:163148 |