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Cited by 32Anthropological Studies and InsightsSoutheast Asian Sociopolitical StudiesStudy and Philosophy of Religion

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Naming chaos: Accident, precariousness, and the spirits of wildness in urban Thai spirit cults

JOHNSON, ANDREW ALAN·2012·American Ethnologist
DOI 10.1111/j.1548-1425.2012.01394.x
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Abstract

Conceptions of wildness(theuan)and accident pervade the Thai informal economy and infuse certain forms of popular religious practice. I look at the propitiation of wilderness spirits in urban Bangkok at shrines that migrant and marginal workers see as sites of hope and danger. I argue that, by naming the potential for accident and death as a spirit with which they can communicate, informal‐economy workers attempt to change the potential for misfortune into its opposite. My study draws on recent work on neoliberal and precarious labor in Europe as well as connections between the occult and the economy.

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Metadata

Authors
JOHNSON, A. A.
Affiliations
Columbia University (US)
Corresponding author
JOHNSON, ANDREW ALAN
ORCID
JOHNSON, ANDREW ALAN
Venue
American Ethnologist
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2012-11
Volume
39
Issue
4
Pages
766-778
ISSN
  • 0094-0496 (ISSN-L)
  • 1548-1425
DOI
10.1111/j.1548-1425.2012.01394.x
OpenAlex
W2002916074
Cited by
32
References
0
Citations by year
2020: 12 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 3
FWCI
8.99
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor, 1 d)
Locations
American Ethnologist (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Anthropology › Anthropological Studies and Insights
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Study and Philosophy of Religion
Keywords
wildness, accidents, precarious employment, informal economy, migrant workers, propitiation, neoliberalism, Bangkok

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Naming chaos: Accident, precariousness, and the spirits of wildness in urban Thai spirit cults. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1111/j.1548-1425.2012.01394.x
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JOHNSON, A. A. (2012). Naming chaos: Accident, precariousness, and the spirits of wildness in urban Thai spirit cults. American Ethnologist. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-1425.2012.01394.x