Buddhist Modernism in 19th century Siam and the Discourse of Scientific Buddhism. Towards a Global History of `Religion'

What has been called the “discourse of scientific Buddhism” (McMahan) is often traced back to 19th century Sri Lanka. This article argues that the modernist ideas concisely summarized in a book written by chaophraya Thiphakorawong and published in Siam in 1867 can be drawn upon to show that the importance of Siamese reform movements for the discourse of scientific Buddhism is often underestimated. In addition, the article illustrates how the way in which this book reconfigures Siamese traditions as the ‘religion of Buddhism’ by distinguishing them from other ‘religions’ on the one hand and scientific knowledge on the other can be related to the genealogy of the modern global discourse of religion and the emergence of world society.