83rd Annual Conference (2024)
A Report on the 83rd Annual Conference of the JARS by the International Connections Committee
Our annual conference was held on-site at Tenri University in Tenri, Nara, from September 13 to 15, and online from 13 to 22, 2024. It began with an opening symposium, followed by panels and individual presentations. We would like to express our gratitude to the university’s organizing committee, headed by Prof. OKADA Masahiko, for their tireless efforts in making the conference a great success. The conference had 466 participants in total.
The opening symposium was entitled “Insiders and Outsiders of Religious Studies: Focusing on the Self-Understanding of Believers and the Academic Research on Religions.”
Three scholars who specialize in religious studies or Buddhist studies, while actively engaging in their own faiths, were invited to share their experiences with the academic community and the public.
The symposium began with an introductory overview of the subject by Prof. HIGASHIBABA Ikuo.
Introduction:
HIGASHIBABA Ikuo (Tenri University)
Speakers:
OKUYAMA Michiaki (Toyo Eiwa University), “A Faith Experience of a Believer on the Periphery of Religion”
WATANABE Yū (University of Tokyo), “Being at the Borders: Towards “Critique” in Contemporary Religious Studies”
NASU Eishō (Ryukoku University), “How to Evaluate Self-Understanding and Self-Representation of Believers in the Academic Study of Religion: Current Status and Challenges in Contemporary Japanese Buddhist Studies”
Commentator:
Mira SONNTAG (Rikkyo University)
Chair:
OKADA Masahiko (Tenri University)
The conference also featured a special panel session in English with the support of the International Connections Committee. The panel, “The Relevance of “Global Religious History” for Religious Studies in Japan” was planned and organized by Prof. Mira SONNTAG (Rikkyo University). This panel proposes to be a forum where members of the Japanese Association for Religious Studies and some guest speakers can share their expertise on global religious history.
Papers presented in English:
Adrian HERMANN (University of Bonn), “World Christianity and the Global History of Religion”
ODORI Tomoji (Musashi University), “Religion and Global History in Studies on the Reformation and Protestantism”
TAKAI-HELLER Yuki (Tainan Theological College and Seminary), “Prospects and Constraints of “Global” Christian History: Perspectives from East Asia”
Chari and Commentator:
Mira SONNTAG (Rikkyo University)
The regular program consisted of 18 more panels and 210 individual papers.
Panel Titles and Conveners:
Rethinking the History of Religious Studies in Japan: Focusing on the Differentiation Between Religious Studies and Anthropology
(TAKEZAWA Shōichirō)
The Concepts of Religious Studies in Contemporary Japan and Their Reexamination
(SAWAI Yoshitsugu)
Re-Profiling the Study of Religion
(TSURUOKA Yoshio)
Jehovah’s Witnesses: Hardships of Religious Families
(SAKURAI Yoshihide)
Discussing the Role of Religious Organizations in Society
(TANI Hidetoshi)
New Perspectives on Life and Death, or the Concept of Immortality through AI
(NAGAHARA Junko)
On Comparative Mythology of Death
(KIMURA Takeshi)
Comparative Religious History Between Christianity and Islam: From Conflict to Coexistence
(SANO Tōsei)
After the Revelation: Maintaining and Continuing “Authority” in Islam
(INOUE Kie)
The World of Calendars in Early-Modern Japan
(HAYASHI Makoto)
Localities and Learnings for Nineteenth-Century Shintoists
(MITSUMATSU Makoto)
Indoctrination Policies and Buddhism in Modern Japan
(ŌTANI Eiichi)
The Spread of Zen in Modern Times: Self-Cultivation, Training, and Art
(TAKEI Kengo)
What Supports the Caregivers?
(ANDŌ Yasunori)
The Present Treatment of the Dead by Local Governments: From the Results of a National Survey
(YAMADA Shin’ya)
On the Issues of “Translation”: A Case Study of Tenrikyō
(HORIUCHI Midori)
Secularization and Gender in Monotheistic Societies: The Case of LGBTQ-Related Discussions
(TAKAO Ken’ichirō)
Religion and the Anime and Tokusatsu of Japan
(MATSUNO Tomoaki)
Individual paper titles are available at:
https://jpars.org/data/files/separate_volume/vol_98.pdf