New Decade, New Directions: Advancing the Study of Southeast Asian Religions

Abstract

On 9 December 2020, a group of scholars of Southeast Asia gathered over Zoom as part of the American Academy of Religion’s annual conference for a special roundtable: “New Decade, New Directions: Advancing the Study of Southeast Asian Religions”. This session considered key works in the study of Southeast Asian religions from the last decade and discussed ways the field should develop over the next decade. Scholars from a wide range of disciplines charted a collaborative historiography that we are happy to share with SOJOURN readers in this special package. We also offer glimpses into each author’s new research projects. This package, then, offers a knowing glance back at important scholarship from the 2010s and a promising picture of where the 2020s could take the study of religion in Southeast Asia. This section features scholarship from a diverse range of disciplines, including history, anthropology, gender studies, literary studies, media studies and ritual studies. It encompasses multiple Southeast Asian locations, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Southwest China, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. To harmonize our multi-vocal collaboration, each of our eight