Paper short abstract:

My paper is concerned with gossip as a central instrument to control the moral integrity of the Khuba as a fundraiser for monumental works as well as a Buddhist ascetic. It examines the rise and fall of authenticity and the emergence of a discourse on fake Khuba.

Paper long abstract:

My paper is concerned with gossip as a central instrument to control the moral integrity of the Khuba as a fundraiser for monumental works as well as a Buddhist ascetic. My paper examines the emergence of Theravadin Khruba Buddhist saints in the Mekong region of Southeast Asia, their reputation, Princely status, but also the rise and fall of authenticity and the emergence of a discourse on fake Khuba. The paper explores the development of a Buddhist consumer culture and Buddhist material landscape for branding the Khuba as well as appropriations of, endorsement of, and claims on the Khuba by widely divergent class segments of a growing laity ranging from impoverished borderlanders to wealthy elites, all looking for a spiritual leader and savior. The paper also looks at the dynamics of the redistribution of wealth and the discourse about it in these communicative dynamics.