The Influence of Globalization on Japanese Religion
Dissolving Boundaries of Religious Culture
In: Journal of Religion in JapanSearch for other papers by Nobutaka Inoue in
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The process of globalization has significantly and unprecedentedly influenced the activities, teachings, and many other aspects of religions within Japan since the 1980s. While Christian groups have been establishing churches in Japan since the nineteenth century, one now also sees various other religious groups including Muslims from a broad range of countries establishing branch churches and mosques of their own in the country. Meanwhile the many domestic modern new religions that were established during the modernization process now find themselves operating alongside even newer types of religious groups including hyper-religions. When one observes the religious life of ordinary Japanese these days, on the surface little may seem to have changed from before globalization developed in earnest. However, the pop subcultures of the younger generations have demonstrated a readiness to adopt and rearrange elements from religious and folk cultures alien to Japan even as they eschew elements from traditional folk life. The ways in which these foreign folk beliefs and their more magical elements have entered and spread in the country are often unpredictable. Thanks to globalization, the boundaries that once existed among Japanese religions—both among the traditional religions in particular and more generally throughout the religious world as a whole—are gradually dissolving.
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| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 2055 | 343 | 23 |
| Full Text Views | 373 | 8 | 1 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 240 | 20 | 3 |
The Influence of Globalization on Japanese Religion
Dissolving Boundaries of Religious Culture
In: Journal of Religion in JapanSearch for other papers by Nobutaka Inoue in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
The process of globalization has significantly and unprecedentedly influenced the activities, teachings, and many other aspects of religions within Japan since the 1980s. While Christian groups have been establishing churches in Japan since the nineteenth century, one now also sees various other religious groups including Muslims from a broad range of countries establishing branch churches and mosques of their own in the country. Meanwhile the many domestic modern new religions that were established during the modernization process now find themselves operating alongside even newer types of religious groups including hyper-religions. When one observes the religious life of ordinary Japanese these days, on the surface little may seem to have changed from before globalization developed in earnest. However, the pop subcultures of the younger generations have demonstrated a readiness to adopt and rearrange elements from religious and folk cultures alien to Japan even as they eschew elements from traditional folk life. The ways in which these foreign folk beliefs and their more magical elements have entered and spread in the country are often unpredictable. Thanks to globalization, the boundaries that once existed among Japanese religions—both among the traditional religions in particular and more generally throughout the religious world as a whole—are gradually dissolving.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 2055 | 343 | 23 |
| Full Text Views | 373 | 8 | 1 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 240 | 20 | 3 |