Book

Roster of the gods: an ethnography of the supernatural in a Thai village

Human Relations Area FilesNew Haven, Conn. • Published In 1973 • Pages: 3, 44, 911 leaves

By: Textor, Robert B., Cornell University. Southeast Asia Program, Yale University. Southeast Asia Studies.

Abstract
This study attempts to describe naturalistically, and to analyze, the cognitive, structural, and functional aspects of one major sub-domain of the total domain of religio-magical belief and behavior in Bang Chan, a rural village in central Thailand. This sub-domain, which Textor terms the “amoral-manipulative system,” consists of 114 “supernatural objects,” i.e., spirits, ghosts, sacred objects, and various other culturally standardized entities that possess supernatural power to reward or punish an individual. Textor shows how villagers make choices among supernatural objects culturally available to them as they seek to achieve a particular reward or avoid a particular punishment.
Subjects
Magical and mental therapy
Burial practices and funerals
Cult of the dead
Religious beliefs
Religious practices
Prophets and ascetics
culture
Central Thai
HRAF PubDate
2000
Region
Asia
Sub Region
Southeast Asia
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnographer
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
David Sherwood ; 1984
Field Date
1952-1971
Coverage Date
1952-1971
Coverage Place
Bang Chan, Thailand
Notes
by Robert B. Textor
The household survey on which Textor bases certain
Includes bibliographical references (p. 829)
LCCN
82202960
LCSH
Thais