Buying Buddha, Selling Rumi

'Both scholarly and readable, Buying Buddha, Selling Rumi deepens our understanding of the way the West appropriates Eastern religion.' -- Jeffrey H. Mahan, Ralph E. and Norma E. Peck Professor of Religion & Public Communication, Iliff School of Theology 'A fascinating and wholly engrossing exploration of how mysticism , as we know it in the West, circulates as a modern-day product of colonial structures of power.' -- Sylvia Chan-Malik, Associate Professor, Departments of American Studies and Women's and Gender Studies, Rutgers University 'A wide-ranging overview of the ongoing power and cultural significance of long-standing Western Orientalist tropes about the Mystic East . This is an important work for anyone working on Asian traditions and their contemporary appropriation, transformation and commodification.' -- Richard King, Professor of Buddhist and Asian Studies, University of Kent 'Buying Buddha, Selling Rumi highlights the hidden costs of what would appear to be positive stereotypes about Eastern religiosity. In doing so, Arjana interrogates cultural colonialism, i.e. the borrowing of other people's cultures and religions without giving credit to actual persons and institutions... With its comprehensive theoretically informed approach and exciting case studies, I would especially recommend this book for use in undergraduate classes.' * Religion (Liz Wilson, Miami University) *