John K. Nelson

John Nelson is Professor of East Asian religions in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Francisco. He received his Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from UC Berkeley, and has researched Japanese religions, religion and society, and globalization throughout his career. He also serves as Academic Director for the Master’s program in Asia-Pacific Studies, and was the founder of the Asian Studies undergraduate program at USF. His areas of specialization are East Asian religions, contemporary Buddhism, cultural anthropology, globalization, secularism, and Asian Studies. Professor Nelson is the author of two books on Japanese Shinto, numerous articles, a video documentary on Yasukuni Shrine. He has just published Experimental Buddhism: Innovation and Activism in Contemporary Japan (University of Hawaii Press, 2013).