Events Calendar

Many theorists of religion in the early half of the 20th century imagined that the process of secularization would result in the eventual disappearance of religion from the public sphere. In contrast to traditional secularization theories, religion has not only remained an important part of public life, but is essential to understanding global society today. Although it is well known that religion plays a key role in American political culture and in global security policies, the role of religion in Japan is not as well recognized.

This symposium proposes to bring together the leading Japan- and United States-based academic theorists on the role of religion in state formation, in consumer culture (such as film and media), in public education, and in moments of crisis, such as in post-3/11 disaster relief efforts. By bringing together the Japanese perspective with leading scholars working on U.S. and China religions, the symposium aims to explore how religion continues to make its mark on public discourse in Japan today, and to further understanding of the significance of religion in an increasingly globalized world.

The conference conveners are Lori Meeks and Duncan Williams, both of USC.

Schedule

10:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

“Post 3/11 Religion in Japan”

Susumu Shimazono, professor, University of Tokyo; former president, Japanese Association for Religious Studies
Respondent: Donald Miller, professor and executive director, Center for Religion and Civic Culture, USC

“Religion in Films and Religious Culture Education in Contemporary Japan”

Nobutaka Inoue, professor and director, Institute of Japanese Culture and Classics, Kokugakuin University
Respondent: Jolyon Thomas, Ph.D. candidate, Princeton University

1:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

“A Place for Religion in the Public Sphere? Some Postwar Japanese Responses to Secularization”

Mark Mullins, professor, Sophia University; editor-in-chief, Monumenta Nipponica
Respondent: David Kyuman Kim, associate professor of Religious Studies, Connecticut College

“Religious and Citizenship Education in Public Schools in Japan: A Comparison with the United States”

Koichi Mori, chancellor, Kobe College; professor emeritus, Doshisha University
Respondent: Helen Hardacre, E.O. Reischauer Professor of Japanese Religions and Society, Harvard University

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.