عنوان

Religion, Hybrid Forms, and Cultural Chauvinism in Japan

Number

LA116685

.Language of Text, Soundtrack etc

انگلیسی

Title Proper

Religion, Hybrid Forms, and Cultural Chauvinism in Japan

General Material Designation

[Article]

First Statement of Responsibility

Ugo Dessì

Place of Publication, Distribution, etc.

Leiden

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

Brill

Text of Note

This article analyzes a few selected case studies from different religious traditions in contemporary Japan to illustrate, first, the active role played by religion in Japan in the creation of hybrid forms and, secondly, the potentiality in two instances to promote cultural chauvinism. The topics explored here are Japanese Buddhism and the issue of human rights, Shintō's self-representation as a 'religion of the forest,' and Kōfuku no Kagaku's adoption of Theosophical themes. The discourse of human rights found in traditions such as Jōdo Shinshū, Jōdoshū, and Sōtōshū shows how this western idea is made to resonate with religious concepts from the Buddhist tradition, thus making possible a reshaping of local religious identities. While in this case the catalyst in the process is provided by an external source, the recent reshaping of Shintō as a 'religion of the forest' may be characterized as a glocalization leaning to 'native' sources, in which the 'native' religious tradition is subject to a creative reading following the worldwide growing awareness of ecology. Here a tendency to emphasize the superiority of the 'native' culture may also be noticed. However, as the case of Kōfuku no Kagaku's adoption of various Theosophical themes illustrates, also glocalization leaning to external sources may be accompanied by forms of cultural chauvinism. This article analyzes a few selected case studies from different religious traditions in contemporary Japan to illustrate, first, the active role played by religion in Japan in the creation of hybrid forms and, secondly, the potentiality in two instances to promote cultural chauvinism. The topics explored here are Japanese Buddhism and the issue of human rights, Shintō's self-representation as a 'religion of the forest,' and Kōfuku no Kagaku's adoption of Theosophical themes. The discourse of human rights found in traditions such as Jōdo Shinshū, Jōdoshū, and Sōtōshū shows how this western idea is made to resonate with religious concepts from the Buddhist tradition, thus making possible a reshaping of local religious identities. While in this case the catalyst in the process is provided by an external source, the recent reshaping of Shintō as a 'religion of the forest' may be characterized as a glocalization leaning to 'native' sources, in which the 'native' religious tradition is subject to a creative reading following the worldwide growing awareness of ecology. Here a tendency to emphasize the superiority of the 'native' culture may also be noticed. However, as the case of Kōfuku no Kagaku's adoption of various Theosophical themes illustrates, also glocalization leaning to external sources may be accompanied by forms of cultural chauvinism.

Date of Publication

2012

Physical description

168-187

Title

Journal of Religion in Japan

Volume Number

1/2

International Standard Serial Number

2211-8349

Subject Term

cultural chauvinism

Subject Term

glocalization

Subject Term

hybridization

Subject Term

Japanese Buddhism

Subject Term

Kōfuku no Kagaku

Subject Term

Shintō

Ugo Dessì

Call Number

10.1163/221183412X649629

Electronic name

p

[Article]

275578

a

Y