The body in Burma is an understudied object (we introduced some discussions of it in DC #15). One of the ways to get at it is through the way it is adorned and how that connects with theories of apotropaic power. We include this week Tannenbaum’s classic on Shan (Tai) tattooing practices and how they relate to protection / enhancement of the body. Students of weikza ဝိ္ဇ္ဇာ, the Burmese wizard with supernatural powers, also explore the uses of the body in fascinating ways – give you Patton’s exploration of the way ingestion of sacred diagrams enhances potency, and Coderey’s ethnography of weikza healing practices in Arakan.

see here for this week’s PDFS and for all the juicy cuts.