Bardwell Smith, John W. Nason Professor of Religion and Asian Studies Emeritus, has just published Precarious Balance: Sinhala Buddhism and the Forces of Pluralism at the age of 97.
The book provides a systematic study of Buddhism in Sri Lanka from the time of the island’s earliest king to its contemporary era. After paying several visits to Sri Lanka, Smith incorporated his personal experience with the local culture into his theoretical examination of how political, social, and religious actors interact and shed light on current issues. Topics discussed in this volume include concepts of order and legitimation of power, the role of monasticism, and the interpretation of Sri Lanka’s oldest historical chronicles.
The book was well-received. Smith’s “contributions to the study of Sri Lankan political thought and practice have been formative for several fields,” helping “generations of scholars to engage textual evidence from Sri Lanka,” wrote one reviewer (Anne B. Blackburn, Cornell University).
Smith’s earlier books include Narratives of Sorrow and Dignity: Japanese Women, Pregnancy Loss, and Modern Rituals of Grieving (2013); Religion and Legitimation of Power in Sri Lanka (1978); and several edited volumes.