Vietnamese supernaturalism

the long version

"Popular religion in southern Vietnam is often regarded as an indefinable mix of many different beliefs, meanings and symbols with little pattern or explanation. In contrast, this book highlights that the beliefs and practices of the Vietnamese can be discerned through four distinct, yet overlapping, spheres and that the varing attitudes which exist towards the spirit world are a direct result of unique historical and environmental circumstances." "Vietnamese Supernaturalism examines a wide range of religious customs, from trance possession practices to styles of self-cultivation, against several different backgrounds including migration settlement and the effect of colonialism. Despite the ostensible differences within the practices of 'popular religion', Thien Do controversially demonstrates two consistent similarities: an abiding interest in the altered state of consciousness and the daily acts of survival employed in order to evade or resist domination." "By bringing together oral histories, reports and fiction writing alongside more conventional documented sources, this book reveals an area of history which has been largely neglected. It will prove to be a valuable resource to students of Asian studies, anthropolgy and all those with an interest in the culture and history of Vietnam."--Jacket.