Lecture Series
Tuesday, 22nd of May 2012
06:00 pm – 07:30 pm
Center for Khmer Studies (CKS)
# 234, St 450, Tuol Tumpoung II, Chamkamorn, Phnom Penh
Matthew Kosuta
will present his research project:
"The Belief and Practice of Astrology and Divination in Cambodia in Relation to Theravada Southeast Asia"
Matthew Kosuta received a PhD in Sciences des religions from the Université du Québec, Montréal in 2003. He has taught at the College of Religious Studies, Mahidol University in Thailand since 2006 where he is currently Director of the International Graduate Program. Dr. Kosuta’s primary research interest lies in astrology and divination in Theravada Southeast Asia, with a focus on Thailand. He was awarded a Center of Khmer Studies Senior Fellowship in order to pursue this research topic in Cambodia.
Abstract
Theravada Southeast Asia (ThSEA) shares a common religion in Theravada Buddhism, but the religious practice in ThSEA also contains other religious and magical practices most often identified as animism and Brahmanism. Within this religious and magical complex is the practice of divination (horasat, thiey) – an attempt to gain unknown knowledge by "supernatural" means or by methods and systems usually not considered scientific. A very popular method of divination in urban Myanmar and Thailand is astrology. Astrology uses the position and movement of the sun, moon, stars and planets in the sky to predict auspicious times, to predict future and so on. Astrology in Myanmar and Thailand is directly based on India astrology (jyotish).
The fellowship which he received from the Center of Khmer Studies was to study astrology in Cambodia.
This talk will summarize the findings of his research as CKS Fellow. The talk will begin with describing what astrology is (focusing on Thai astrology) and give some background on astrology in ThSEA. It will then move to the findings from fieldwork in Cambodia. In fact the practice of astrology does not exist in contemporary Cambodia. Thus the research project shifted to finding out why astrology is not practiced in Cambodia and to studying the types of divination that are practiced in Cambodia. There is a wide variety of divination practices in Cambodia – Prohmachit, playing cards, spirit position – and here we do find similarities with Thailand and Laos. The talk will thus describe and discuss these initial finding on astrology and divination in Cambodia and the greater ThSEA region.
Please confirm your attendance to Ms. Sim Puthea by phone: 023 991 937 or by email: puthea_sim[atmark]khmerstudies.org
