Science and Engagement in the Study of Religion

This volume emerged from the dynamic International Association for the History of Religions' Special Conference held in Tokyo, December 2023, where scholars engaged in vigorous debate on the role of scientific objectivity in the study of religion. The debate featured two distinct perspectives: one advocating for the preservation of scientific neutrality, free from religious or political agendas, and the other promoting the integration of social relevance and addressing societal issues. This volume delves into the complexities of these discussions, exploring regional biases, the definition and articulation of "science," and the balance between objectivity and cultural-historical perspectives. It expands on the presentations and discussions from the conference, adding insights into the historical context of this debate, the role of science in the study of religion, and the need for an updated understanding of science within the IAHR.

Readers are invited to contemplate the nuanced relationship between science and the study of religion, especially in a global context. This volume questions whether scholars of religion are merely reiterating past discussions without significant progress since the IAHR's establishment, or if they are now equipped to address these issues with more sophisticated arguments and vocabularies, acknowledging the complexity of these debates. The need for such in-depth discussion among international scholars has increased in recent years, not only because of the ongoing debate on decolonization but also in light of the changing social climate, including wars and other political crises.

Denzil Chetty is a scholar and faculty member at the University of South Africa (UNISA). His research interests span various areas, including Religious Studies, Sociology of Religion, and Religion and Politics. Chetty has contributed to academic literature through articles and books, covering topics such as religion and education, connectivism in technology-centred pedagogy in religious studies, digital Hinduism, online religious identities, and religion at the intersections of hegemony and power with a focus on Gramscian thought. Over the years, he has been awarded numerous prestigious awards for his academic contributions. Some notable accolades include the 2003 Abe Bailey Fellowship in the United Kingdom, the 2011 UNISA Award for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, the 2014 Shanghai Open University African Visiting Scholar in China, and the 2015 UNISA Excellence Award in Teaching and Learning, recognising his valuable contributions to institutional knowledge. He holds a capacity development grant focusing on the African Digital Humanities, which seeks to advance African epistemology and decolonization within technology-mediated humanities.

Satoko Fujiwara is Professor of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Tokyo. She has been serving as President of the International Association for the History of Religions since 2025. Her main focus is on theories in the study of religion with latest publications on the global history of the discipline and the IAHR. She has also published articles on how religions have been described in public school education.

Katja Triplett, is Adjunct Professor of the Study of Religions at Marburg University, Germany. Her main fields of interest are religions in Japan; Buddhism; religion and translation; religion, health and medicine; visual and material culture. Currently, she is directing a research project on translation and the early Jesuit mission in Japan at Leipzig University. She has published widely on religions in Japan including Buddhism and Medicine in Japan: A Topical Survey (500-1600 CE) of a Complex Relationship (2019) and Japan in the Early Modern World: Religion, Translation and Transnational Relations, ed. K. Triplett, Y. Orii and P. Jolliffe (2025).