Transgendered persons (m-to-f) and their ways to renunciation in the context of contemporary Thai Theravada Buddhism
Keywords:
transgendered persons, othering, third space, dhamma hybridity, Thai contemporary Theravada BuddhismAbstract
This research paper is an ethnographic study aiming to explain and analyze the othering and the third way monasticism through religious experiences and religious practices of transgendered religious leaders (m-to-f) in contemporary Thai Theravada context. It applies theoretical framework on othering and third space developed by Homi Bhabha and Edward Soja. Soja provides that third space is created for the others. It is contested othering spaces. The third space has an opened border which allows different cultures to interact and interchange, creating new culture which Bhabha called cultural hybridity. The case study for this research are transgendered people who are respected as a renouncer or a spiritual leader. Scholars on religious and gender study propose that religious space such as Theravada Buddhism is designed by and for men. It marginalizes as well as subordinates women and transgendered people. Accordingly, this paper argues that ‘the othering’ allows transgendered persons to create their own religious practice, including third way monasticism where suitable to their gender. The third way monasticism has an opened border which allows various religious ideas and practices to be exchanged and mixed, resulting in the creation of dhamma hybridity.
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