Literature in transmigration: The Rama story in Southeast Asia

Authors

Frederick B. Goss

Publication Date

2017-01-01

Abstract

The story of Rama, known as Ramayana in the Indian subcontinent where it originated, has migrated and spread to nearly every culture and society in Asia. In each place the story has been introduced, it has been adopted, adapted and absorbed into the local culture. Given the universal themes in the tale, the basic outline of the story has shown a remarkable flexibility to be able to sustain change and adaption, both in interpretation and interpolation. This article examines and compares the presence of the Rama story in various cultures and societies of Southeast Asia, showing how the tradition has moved and been shared from one locality to another and, therefore, has the ability to serve as a cultural peace ambassador promoting mutual understanding among the people of this region.

DOI

10.58837/CHULA.ARV.30.1.4

First Page

87

Last Page

107

Recommended Citation

Goss, Frederick B. (2017) "Literature in transmigration: The Rama story in Southeast Asia," Asian Review: Vol. 30: No. 1, Article 6.
DOI: 10.58837/CHULA.ARV.30.1.4
Available at: https://digital.car.chula.ac.th/arv/vol30/iss1/6