The Making of American Buddhism

Author: Scott A. Mitchell

Hardcover

This volume looks at the intersection of race and religion in the United States before, during, and after World War II, when Nisei (second-generation) Japanese American Jodo Shinshu (or Shin) Buddhists reacted to the trauma of racial and religious discrimination.

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Summary

Description

As of 2010, there were approximately 3-4 million Buddhists in the United States, and that figure is expected to grow significantly. Beyond the numbers, the influence of Buddhism can be felt throughout the culture, with many more people practicing meditation, for example, than claiming Buddhist identity. A century ago, this would have been unthinkable. So how did Buddhism come to claim such a significant place in the American cultural landscape?The Making of American Buddhism offers an answer, showing how in the years on either side of World War II second-generation Japanese American Buddhists laid claim to an American identity inclusive oftheir religious identity. In the process they-and their allies-created a place for Buddhism in America. These sons and daughters of Japanese immigrants-known as

Critic Reviews

The book offers not only an engaging account of Buddhism's transmission but also a reflective, scholarly understanding of how Japanese culture was able to remain authentic to itself while opening out and being assimilated into the wider culture. Choice
Mitchell's book contributes significant new insights that will be of interest to scholars in a variety of fields including American religious history, Buddhist studies, and Asian American studies. The book should also appeal to general readers with an interest in the history of Buddhism in America. Michael Masatsugu, H-Net Reviews
Those who want to learn about Asian Americans, Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism in America, American Buddhism, and Buddhist Modernity will find this book an exceptional source. Trang T. D. Nguyen, Religious Studies Review
Sharp and insightful work. Drew Baker, Project Muse

About the Author

Scott A. Mitchell is the Dean of Students and Faculty Affairs and holds the Yoshitaka Tamai Professorial Chair at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley. He teaches and writes about Buddhism in the West, Pure Land Buddhism, and Buddhist modernism.