Beyond syncretism: Hybridization of popular religion in contemporary Thailand

Abstract

This article challenges the dominant paradigm of 'inclusive syncretism' in the study of Thai religion. By taking the worship of multi-original deities in the popular spiritmedium cults in contemporary Thailand as a case study, it argues that practitioners and specialists working on Thai religious studies need to refresh and update their analytical paradigm to incorporate the concept of 'hybridization'. © 2005 The National University of Singapore.