On May 29, 2011, Dr. Donald Stadtner spoke to around 40 museum-goers on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at UBC’s Museum of Anthropology. Based on his recent book, he discussed both established and new:
“Sacred Sites of Burma”
Stadtner discussed the characteristics of successful sacred sites and reasons why they consistently draw large numbers of visitors and pilgrims. He demonstrated–using a wealth of photos and other visuals–that each of the three most popular sites in Burma is tied to a powerful myth. Without this connection, new and emerging sacred sites are less likely to be successful in the long term.
Donald Stadtner taught Art History at the University of Texas, Austin. He completed his PhD at the University of California, Berkeley. His publications include Ancient Pagan: Buddhist Plain of Merit (2005) and Sacred Sites of Burma: Myth and Folklore in an Evolving Spiritual Realm (2010). He has conducted many study groups to Burma (Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, Los Angeles County Museum, the World Affairs Council, and The Smithsonian Institution). He divides his time between North America and South and Southeast Asia.
This lecture was a cooperative effort of the UBC Museum of Anthropology (MOA), Canadian Society for Asian Arts, Rosalie Stronck Family Foundation, and UBC’s Buddhism and Contemporary Society Program funded by The Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Foundation. As always, the BCS Program is grateful for the cooperation of units here at UBC, especially the Institute of Asian Research, the Department of Asian Studies, and the I.K. Barber Learning Centre.
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