Fall 2005

ANS 383 • Readings in the History and Practice of Japanese Religion

Course Description

In this seminar we will examine a variety of recent and classical works on the subject of Japanese religion and Japanese religiosity. Readings will come from a variety of disciplinary fields including History, Religious Studies, Sociology and Anthropology. Key themes will include norms of Japanese religious practice, the relationship between religion and politics,and notions of sacred space and ritual.

Texts

Ian Reader and George Tanabe, Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan James Heisig and John Maraldo, Rude Awakenings: Zen the Kyoto School and the Question of Nationalism Duncan Williams, The Other Side of Zen: A Social Hisoty of Zen Buddhism in Tokugawa Japan Sarah Thal, Rearranging the Landscape of the Gods: The Politics of a Pilgrimage Site in Japan, 1573-1912 Ian Reader, Religious Violence in Contemporary Japan: The Case of Aum Shinrikyo Others TBA

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