Japanese Religions and Globalization

Description

This book analyzes the variety of ways through which Japanese religions (Buddhism, Shintō, and new religious movements) contribute to the dynamics of accelerated globalization in recent decades. It looks at how Japanese religions provide material to cultural global flows, thus acting as carriers of globalization, and how they respond to these flows by shaping new glocal identities. The book highlights how, paradoxically, these processes of religious hybridization may be closely intertwined with the promotion of cultural chauvinism. It shows how on the one hand religion in Japan is engaged in border negotiation with global subsystems such as politics, secular education, and science, and how on the other hand, it tries to find new legitimation by addressing pressing global problems such as war, the environmental crisis, and economic disparities left unsolved by the dominant subsystems. A significant contribution to advancing an understanding of modern Japanese religious life, this book is of interest to academics working in the fields of Japanese Studies, Asian history and religion and the sociology of religion. Japanese Religions and Globalization Copyright Contents Author’s note Acknowledgments Introduction Religion and globalization Japanese religions within globalization 1 The risk of cultural bias: definitions and phases Globalization, cultural bias, and the definition of religion Cultural bias and phases of globalization 2 ‘One true world religion among many others’? Global identities and religious pluralism Japanese religions and inclusivism Japanese religions and exclusivism 3 Shaping new glocal identities Glocalization leaning to external sources Glocalization leaning to ‘native’ sources 4 Glocalization, cultural chauvinism, and resistance to change Glocalization and cultural chauvinism Resistance to change and cultural chauvinism 5 Glocalization overseas Virtual bridges, glocalization, and cultural chauvinism 6 Carriers of globalization Japanese religions’ influence over other religions and cultures 7 Border negotiation in global society (I): religion and politics Japanese religions and politics 8 Border negotiation in global society (II): religion, education, and science Japanese religions and public education Japanese religions and science 9 Addressing global problems Global problems and religious institutions Global problems and religious NGOs/NPOs Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index