Digital Humanities and Religions in Asia

Digital Humanities and Religions in Asia
Author: L.W.C. van Lit
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2023-12-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 311074760X

In pre-modern religions in the geographical context of Asia we encounter unique scripts, number systems, calendars, and naming conventions. These can make Western-built technologies – even tools specifically developed for digital humanities – an ill fit to our needs. The present volume explores this struggle and the limitations and potential opportunities of applying a digital humanities approach to pre-modern Asian religions. The authors cover Buddhism, Christianity, Daoism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism and Shintoism with chapters categorized according to their focus on: 1) temples, 2) manuscripts, 3) texts, and 4) social media. Thus, the volume guides readers through specific methodologies and practical examples while also providing a critical reflection on the state of the field, pushing the interface between digital humanities and pre-modern Asian religions into new territory.

Digital Humanities and Research Methods in Religious Studies

Digital Humanities and Research Methods in Religious Studies
Author: Christopher D. Cantwell
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 360
Release: 2021-02-22
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 3110573024

This volume provides practical, but provocative, case studies of exemplary projects that apply digital technology or methods to the study of religion. An introduction and 16 essays are organized by the kinds of sources digital humanities scholars use – texts, images, and places – with a final section on the professional and pedagogical issues digital scholarship raises for the study of religion.

Religion and the Making of Modern East Asia

Religion and the Making of Modern East Asia
Author: Thomas David DuBois
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2011-04-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 1139499467

Religious ideas and actors have shaped Asian cultural practices for millennia and have played a decisive role in charting the course of its history. In this engaging and informative book, Thomas David DuBois sets out to explain how religion has influenced the political, social, and economic transformation of Asia from the fourteenth century to the present. Crossing a broad terrain from Tokyo to Tibet, the book highlights long-term trends and key moments, such as the expulsion of Catholic missionaries from Japan, or the Taiping Rebellion in China, when religion dramatically transformed the political fate of a nation. Contemporary chapters reflect on the wartime deification of the Japanese emperor, Marxism as religion, the persecution of the Dalai Lama, and the fate of Asian religion in a globalized world.

Religion, Hypermobility and Digital Media in Global Asia

Religion, Hypermobility and Digital Media in Global Asia
Author: Catherine Gomes
Publisher: Amsterdam University Press
Total Pages: 260
Release: 2020-09-18
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9048552109

Digital media is changing the ways in which religion is practiced, understood, proselytised and countered. Religious institutions and leaders use digital media to engage with their congregations who now are not confined to single locations and physical structures. The faithful are part of online communities which allow them a space to worship and to find fellowship. Migrant and mobile subjects thus are able to be connected to their faith -- whether home grown or emerging -- wherever they may be, providing them with an anchor in unfamiliar physical and cultural surroundings. As Asia rises, mobilities associated with Asian populations have escalated. The notion of 'Global Asia' is a reflection of this increased mobility, where Asia includes not only Asian countries as sites of political independence, but also the transnational networks of Asian trans/migrants, and the diasporic settlements of Asian peoples all over the world. This collection features cutting edge research by scholars across disciplines seeking to understand the role and significance of religion among transnational mobile subjects in this age of digital media, and in particular, as experienced in Global Asia.

Reconceptualizing the Digital Humanities in Asia

Reconceptualizing the Digital Humanities in Asia
Author: Kaby Wing-Sze Kung
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2020-09-09
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9811546428

This book examines new forms of representation that have changed our perception and interpretation of the humanities in an Asian, and digital, context. In analyzing written and visual texts, such as the use of digital technology and animation in different works of art originating from Asia, the authors demonstrate how literature, history, and culture are being redefined in spatialized relations amid the trend of digitization. Research studies on Asian animation are in short supply, and so this volume provides new and much needed insights into how art, literature, history, and culture can be presented in innovative ways in the Asian digital world. The first section of this volume focuses on the new conceptualization of the digital humanities in art and film studies, looking at the integration of digital technologies in museum narration and cinematic production. The second section of the volume addresses the importance of framing these discussions within the context of gender issues in the digital world, discussing how women are represented in different forms of social media. The third and final section of the book explores the digital world’s impacts on people’s lives through different forms of digital media, from the electromagnetic unconscious to digital storytelling and digital online games. This book presents a novel contribution to the burgeoning field of the digital humanities by informing new forms of representation and interpretations, and demonstrating how digitization can influence and change cultural practices in Asia, and globally. It will be of interest to students and scholars interested in digitization from the full spectrum of humanities disciplines, including art, literature, film, music, visual culture, media, and animation, gaming, and Internet culture. "This is a well-written book, and I enjoyed reading it. The first impression of the book is that it is very innovative - a down-to-the-earth academic volume that discusses digital culture." - Professor Anthony Fung, Professor, Director, School of Journalism and Communication, The Chinese University of Hong Kong "This book has contributed to the existing field of humanities by informing new forms of representation and interpretations, and how digitization may change cultural practices. There is comprehensive information on how the humanities in the digital age can be applied to a wide range of subjects including art, literature, film, pop music, music videos, television, animation, games, and internet culture." - Dr Samuel Chu, Associate Professor, The Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong

Digital Humanities and Scholarly Research Trends in the Asia-Pacific

Digital Humanities and Scholarly Research Trends in the Asia-Pacific
Author: Wong, Shun-han Rebekah
Publisher: IGI Global
Total Pages: 310
Release: 2019-01-25
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 1522571965

Digital humanities is a dynamic and emerging field that aspires to enhance traditional research and scholarship through digital media. Although countries around the world are witnessing the widespread adoption of digital humanities, only a small portion of the literature discusses its development in the Asia Pacific region. Digital Humanities and Scholarly Research Trends in the Asia-Pacific provides innovative insights into the development of digital humanities and their ability to facilitate academic exchange and preserve cultural heritage. The content covers challenges including the need to maintain digital humanities momentum in libraries and research communities, to increase international collaboration, to maintain and promote developed digital projects, to deploy and redeploy resources to support research, and to build new skillsets and new professionals in the library. It is designed for librarians, government agencies, industry professionals, academicians, and researchers.

Reinventing the Tripitaka

Reinventing the Tripitaka
Author: Jiang Wu
Publisher: Lexington Books
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2017-09-20
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1498547583

The Chinese Buddhist canon is a systematic collection of all translated Buddhist scriptures and related literatures created in East Asia and has been regarded as one of the “three treasures” in Buddhist communities. Despite its undisputed importance in the history of Buddhism, research on this huge collection has remained largely the province of Buddhologists focusing on textual and bibliographical studies. We thus aim to initiate methodological innovations to study the transformation of the canon by situating it in its modern context, characterized by intricate interactions between East and West as well as among countries in East Asia. During the modern period the Chinese Buddhist canon has been translated, edited, digitized, and condensed as well as internationalized, contested, and ritualized. The well-known accomplishment of this modern transformation is the compilation of the Taisho Canon during the 1920s. It has become a source of both doctrinal orthodoxy as well as creativity and its significance has greatly increased as Buddhist scholarship and devotionalism has utilized the canon for various ends. However, it is still unclear what led to the creation of the modern editions of the Buddhist canon in East Asia. This volume explores the most significant and interesting developments regarding the Chinese Buddhist canon in modern East Asia including canon formation, textual studies, historical analyses, religious studies, ritual invention, and digital research tools and methods.

Understanding Women’s Experiences of Displacement

Understanding Women’s Experiences of Displacement
Author: Suranjana Choudhury
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 187
Release: 2021-11-29
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1000508897

The South Asian region has been especially prone to mass displacement and relocations owing to its varied geographical settings as well as socio-political factors. This book examines the women’s perspective on issues related to displacement, loss, conflict, and rehabilitation. It maps the diverse engagements with women’s experiences of displacement in the South Asian region through a nuanced examination of unexplored literary narratives, life writing and memoirs, cultural discourses, and social practices. The book explores themes like sexuality and the female body, women and the national identity, violence against women in Indian Partition narratives, and stories of exile in real life and fairy tales. It also offers an understanding of the ruptures created by dislocation and exile in memory, identity, and culture by analyzing the spaces occupied by displaced women and their lived experiences. The volume looks at the multiplicity of reasons behind women’s displacement and offers a wider perspective on the intersections between gender, migration, and marginalization. This book will be useful for scholars and researchers of cultural studies, literature, gender studies, conflict studies, development studies, South Asian studies, refugee studies, diaspora studies, and sociology.

Digital Religion

Digital Religion
Author: Heidi A. Campbell
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2021-09-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1000434966

This book offers a critical and systematic survey of the study of religion and digital media. It covers religious engagement with a wide range of digital media forms and highlights examples of new media engagement in all five of the major world religions. From mobile apps and video games to virtual reality and social media, the book: • provides a detailed review of major topics including ritual, identity, community, authority, and embodiment; • includes a series of engaging case studies to illustrate and elucidate the thematic explorations; • considers the theoretical, ethical, and theological issues raised. This unique volume draws together the work of experts from key disciplinary perspectives and is the go-to volume for students and scholars wanting to develop a deeper understanding of the subject area. Thoroughly updated throughout with new case studies and in-depth analysis of recent scholarship and developments, this new edition provides a comprehensive overview of this fast-paced, constantly developing, and fascinating field.