Cuerpo, espacio y ritual
Anthropologica December 15, 2025 DOI: 10.18800/anthropologica.202502.009 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnography Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Vipassana meditation |
| Duration | Ten-day silent retreat |
| Key findings | The retreat experience fosters specific forms of subjectivation situated at the intersection of non-hegemonic religiosities, contemporary spiritualities, and multiple modernities. |
Abstract
This article presents an ethnographic analysis of the practice of Vipassana meditation in Argentina, framed within the tradition of Therav?da Buddhism. The research is based on fieldwork conducted at the Dhamma Sukhada meditation center, located in the town of Brandsen, Buenos Aires Province. This center is a branch of the international Buddhist organization Vipassana Meditation, founded by the Burmese teacher Satya Narayan Goenka (1924-2013). Through participant observation during a ten day silent retreat, the study explores the ritualistic, performative, and experiential elements that shape this practice. The article also examines contemporary transformations in religiosity, subjectivity, and ritual within non-Asian contexts amid the global expansion of Vipassana meditation. It concludes that the retreat experience fosters specific forms of subjectivation situated at the intersection of non-hegemonic religiosities, contemporary spiritualities, and multiple modernities.