Earticle

The diversity of Southeast Asian culture and society has been made by two factors: geopolitical environment and colonialism. The geopolitical position of the region between China Seas and Indian Ocean has made it possible that diverse cultures from Northeast Asia especially China and India, Middle East and Europe have flowed into the region. The fact that Southeast Asia was colonized by various European nations has provided additional diversity. The diversity manifests itself most clearly in the culture of Southeast Asia which has various layers: On the bottom lay the indigenous one, and above it Chinese and Indian and Islamic cultures and finally European one.

Although Malaysia chooses Islam as national religion, the nation has really shown a variety of belief systems among which we would find Hinduism, Buddhism, and Animism. Most scholars having studied them regarded the aspect of Malay traditional belief systems as syncretism. This trait of the belief systems in Malaysia is revealed well in the sphere specifically as the rite of passage, to which I do rather prefer the rite of "life" from the sense of emphasizing the rituals varied by the cycle of life time. Under the perspective this paper examines the real phases of the rite of passage, or life of Malays. I will argue here the fact that in performing the rite of passage, Malays mobilize various arts on the basis of the syncretic faith accepting the supernatural, or keramat, with almighty power. Therefore, from the study of the rite of passage we can exactly scrutinize how Malays have altered and adjusted their belief systems in real world.

It has often been said that Myanmar is the most profound Buddhist country in the world. That may well be true, but the brand of Buddhism practised in this isolated land is unique on the face of the globe. Myanmar Buddhism is theoretically Theravada Buddhism, a sect of Buddhism adhering most closely to the Buddha’s teachings, and is the dominant form of Buddhism throughout Southeast Asia. The customary law also has an indissoluble connection with Buddhism in the Burmese society. The family customs and law have been put in statutory form with Damathat. And Damathat which is a statute law plays a important role as a mirror of the popular society. In Burmese society, the network which connects an individual and an individual fulfills its more function than the relatives and families act with group. The human relation which is generally completed within home, for example, parents and children, brothers and sisters, husband and wife and so on is situated as a center of the network which spreads outside home also in Burmese society. And Burmese society is ‘khin’ and ‘ana’ society. Burmese people positively extend the human relation through the way of thinking of Myanmar language ‘khin’ translated ‘intimate’, but they also put on the brakes the extending human relation without ending by keeping its distance through the way of thinking of Myanmar language ‘ana’ translated ‘refuse courteously.’

This paper aims at scrutinizing how the women's image in the Thai film 'Nang-Nak' has been represented, affecting the Thai people intensely and achieving its great success in spite of having the background of 19th century and being a remaker. To fulfill the purpose and analyze the argument, the ideas of Lee(1989), Joan(1973) and Joo(1996) are used as theoretical concepts for this study. As a result, two images of Thai women seem to be revealed in the movie. The first image, drawn from 'Maen' and 'Mian', is conventional, somewhat ideal type for Thai women, so being a common aspect. What makes the movie a big deal, however, is another image which the heroine 'Nak' has shown, attracting the audience to be moved to tears. It may be apparently an idiosyncratic or extraordinary one from the traditional point of view in Thailand, but in other sense is a new, fresh image for which the contemporary Thai women want to seek. That is why the movie became one of the most popular in Thailand.

오늘날 태국 남부 국경 부근의 3개주와 말레이 북부의 일부가 포함된 지역은 불교 사회인 태국과 무슬림 사회인 말레이라는 문화적인 차이가 있음에도 불구하고 그 문화적 근원을 찾아 보면 분명히 이전의 타이불교와 말레이 무슬림의 근원을 만나게 된다. 이는 역사적으로나 고고학적으로나 혹은 지방문학에서도 뿌리를 찾을 수 있는데 특별히 이 논문에서는 땀난나컨씨탐마랏(나컨씨탐마랏 신화)과 히카얏 메롱 마하왕싸(메롱 마하왕싸 신화)를 중심으로 불교권 타이와 이슬람권 말레이의 문화적인 면을 고찰해보고자 한다. 본 논문에서는 땀난나컨씨탐마랏(나컨씨탐마랏 신화)와 히카얏 메롱마하왕싸(메롱 마하왕싸 신화) 속에 나타난 두문화, 즉, 불교권 타이와 이슬람권 말레이의 문화는 동일한 구조를 보이고 있음을 밝히고, 그 구조속에 나타난 지도자의 역할과 그 지역의 발전에 종교가 중요한 요소로 작용하였음을 주장하고 있다. 이러한 주장의 바탕은 Levi-Strauss의 이론으로써 태국 남부의 불교권 타이문화와 말레이 북부의 이슬람권 문화가 얼마나 친밀한 문화적 뿌리를 가지고 있는 지를 알게 한다.