Editor's Note

We are very pleased to present a special issue focusing on the weikza traditions. The genesis of this issue was a collection of three panels organized by Bénédicte Brac de la Perrière and Guillaume Rozenberg at the 2010 International Burma Studies Conference in Marseilles, France. The panels and the response by Steven Collins, off ered a lively conversation that radically expanded our understanding of esoteric Buddhist practices in the region. The field had been pioneered by anthropologists in the mid-1960s but very litt le had been published since then. The articles collected here represent exciting developments in the study of religion and anthropology with the insights from a new generation of fieldwork. The authors bring together a collective depth of knowledge and analysis to provide a comparative perspective on weikza traditions and rituals across the Burmese world. The rich data they present will open up new sets of connections and lines of inquiry for scholars of religion, history and culture across Southeast Asia.

With this issue, I am taking a brief hiatus from the position of Editor of The Journal of Burma Studies to be able to focus more on my own research. I am leaving the Editor's position to the very able care of Lilian Handlin during my absence. She will take over the editorial management duties and Thomas Patt on and Charles Carstens will assist with the editing and reviewing processes. I would like to thank all of our subscribers and authors who have supported the journal during my tenure as editor. You have not only made the critical scholarly conversation in our pages possible, but your support has expanded the journal and field. Our anonymous peer reviewers have been unceasingly generous with their time and their comments, improving the articles and driving the quality of scholarship forward at every turn. I look forward returning as Editor and working closely with all of you again in the future.