Transnational Religious Place-Making: Sri Lankan Migrants’ Physical and Virtual Buddhist Places in South Korea

Abstract

This article looks at the relationship between virtual Buddhist practices that keep Sri Lankan migrants’ engaged with Buddhist community and leadership both in South Korea and elsewhere. Based on mixed ethnographic research methods including participant observation and in-depth interviews, the research demonstrates the following findings. First, the key actors of the Buddhist place-making included Sri Lankan migrant workers, a Sri Lankan ambassador, Sri Lankan temples, Korean temples, and virtual temple participants from other countries. Migrant workers’ collaboration with them contributed to institutionalizing the physical temple. Second, the making of the virtual temple interacted with the making of physical Buddhist places, rather than replacing it. Hosting a virtual temple via Skype expanded into including Sri Lankan migrants who live in other countries. This study contributes to the mobilities discussion as well as place-making discussion by articulating the specific process of transnational religious place-making.