Religious Discourse in Modern Japan : Religion, State, and Shinto : (Dynamics in the History of Religions, 6)

Isomae, Jun'ichi

ISBN 10: 9004272615 / ISBN 13: 9789004272613

Published by Brill, 2014

About this Item

Seller Inventory # a33531

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Religious Discourse in Modern Japan : Religion, State, and Shinto : (Dynamics in the History of Religions, 6)
• Publisher: Brill
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9004272615
• ISBN 13: 9789004272613
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Religious Discourse in Modern Japan explores the introduction of the Western concept of “religion” to Japan in the modern era, and the emergence of discourse on Shinto, philosophy, and Buddhism. Taking Anesaki’s founding of religious studies (shukyogaku) at Tokyo Imperial University as a pivot, Isomae examines the evolution of this academic discipline in the changing context of social conditions from the Meiji era through the present. Special attention is given to the development of Shinto studies/history of Shinto, and the problems of State Shinto and the emperor system are described in relation to the nature of the concept of religion. Isomae also explains how the discourse of religious studies developed in connection with secular discourses on literature and history, including Marxism.

About the Author

Isomae Jun’ichi, Ph.D. (2010), The University of Tokyo, is Associate Professor at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies in Kyoto. He studies the discourse and practice of religion and history in Japan. He has published many monographs and articles focusing on postcolonial criticism and postsecularism, including Japanese Mythology: Hermeneutics on Scripture (Equinox/International Research Center for Japanese Studies, 2010), and Iki no shiko: Tasha, gaibusei, kokyo (Thoughts of Threshold: Others, Exteriority, and Homes) (Hosei University Press, 2014).