Wealth, Social Stratification and the Ritual Economy: Large-scale Donations and Prosperity Buddhism in Laos

Wealth, Social Stratification and the Ritual Economy: Large-scale Donations and Prosperity Buddhism in Laos

This article explores the effects of the recent economic transformations in Laos on Buddhism with regards to large-scale donation rites and the ritual temple economy. An ethnographic case study of a donation of a wealthy business woman from Vientiane for the renovation of a rural temple is discussed as an example of an emerging prosperity Buddhism that reflects increasing competition, rural-urban differences in wealth, and a conjuncture of market and religion. However, the Lao case also exposes some differences from prosperity cults in Thailand and Myanmar that have been researched. Although the donation rite involved advertisement and branding related to the business of the donor, I argue that traditional notions of collective merit-making and other aspects of the moral economy of rural Buddhism are still significant. By discussing the organizational aspects of the ritual, I show that the continuity of these moral economy aspects, such as the limited role of the main donor, and the emphasis on collectivity, are reinforced by a politics of religion still marked by remnants of socialist discourse. I finally argue that the donation rite created a temporary space where social differences between the diverse rural and urban participants were downplayed, but that this could not hide the increasing inequalities and stratifications that now mark much of Laos’ social fabric.