Buying Buddha, Selling Rumi

Name: Buying Buddha, Selling Rumi
Brand: Allen & Unwin
SKU: 9781786077714
Price: 42.99 NZD
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Orientalism and the Mystical Marketplace

By Sophia Rose Arjana

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3.53

( 89 ratings, 23 reviews)

Summary

In Buying Buddha, Selling Rumi, Sophia Rose Arjana explores how Eastern religious traditions have been commercialised within consumer capitalist societies. The book examines the transformation of mysticism into marketable products—from jewellery and meditation cushions to spiritual retreats—rebranded as 'new age' or 'spiritual'. Arjana questions the cultural implications of this commodification and its effects on perceptions of the original peoples and places, while probing the tension between genuine spiritual pursuit and commercial exploitation.
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Format: Paperback / softback

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This title is ideal for undergraduate students and scholars in religion, Asian studies, cultural studies, and media studies, as well as readers interested in the global commercialisation of spirituality and its socio-cultural repercussions.

How Eastern religions are commodified in the modern world, and why it matters

How Eastern religions are commodified in the modern world, and why it matters

Description

In our consumer capitalist society, it should surprise no one that religion is for sale as never before. From jewellery to meditation pillows to tourist retreats, Eastern religious traditions are imitated, rebranded as ‘new age’ or ‘spiritual’, and marketed as an answer to suffering in the modern world. For the secular individual, the ‘mystical’ and ‘exotic’ East is offered as a path to enlightenment and inner peace.

In Buying Buddha, Selling Rumi, Sophia Arjana asks what happens when different cultures and religious traditions are turned into products to be sold for profit. How does it affect our conception of the peoples and places these ideas are taken from? And can we ever reconcile the individual’s virtuous pursuit of self-improvement with the lucrative colonial project that is the commercialisation of mysticism?

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised for its comprehensive, theoretically informed approach, this book offers illuminating case studies on the intersection of mysticism and capitalism. It is lauded for addressing cultural colonialism and Western Orientalist tropes with depth and insight. Recommended particularly for undergraduate coursework in Asian religions, religion, politics, and media studies, it is recognised as an important contribution to understanding the commodification of spiritual traditions.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781786077714

Publisher: Oneworld Publications

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 August 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Oneworld Academic

Illustration: integrated greyscale illustrations

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 24.0mm

Width: 146.0mm

Height: 225.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 320

Collections

Education & Reference Non-Fiction Religion & Spirituality Sophia Rose Arjana

About the Author

Sophia Rose Arjana is Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Western Kentucky University. Her previous books include Pilgrimage in Islam, also published by Oneworld, and Muslims in the Western Imagination, which was a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title of the Year. She lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky.