“The Constitution of a Religion: Ōtani-ha Shin Buddhism as Civil Society Actor”
Presented by Jessica L. Main, Faculty of Religious Studies, McGill University.
Date: Friday January 9, 2008
Time: 12:00 – 1:15 PM
Place: Institute of Asian Research, C.K. Choi Building Room 120, 1855 West Mall
Contemporary Japanese Buddhism has, to a large extent, been absent from academic and political discourse, especially in the post-WWII period. Helen Hardacre (2004) suggests this lack of study is due to a lack of theory, that is, due to an inability to conceive of how Buddhism exists and acts in contemporary society. Hardacre makes a strong argument for “civil society” as the theoretical lens to understand the normal, associational life of religion in Japan, including Buddhism. Based on my research into anti-discrimination and pro-human rights activities related to the burakumin over the course of the modern period, civil society theory is a good fit for Ōtani-ha Shin Buddhism. However, civil society theory is not merely descriptive; it has strongly normative and political dimensions. Specifically, civil society theory recommends forms associational life that are thought to promote the “civility” of society. This paper will address how the Ōtani-ha has fared when evaluated against the evolving set of norms constituting civility, which are put forward by scholars, activists, and by other civil society actors in Japan. It will do so by tackling claims that constitutional and legal changes—the structural reforms of the Ōtani-ha—are congruent with norms of human rights, gender equality, and democratic procedure. As such, these are claims that the Ōtani-ha contributes to the “civility” of society. Three instances of structural change in particular have received positive evaluation for somehow reducing descent-based discrimination against the burakumin or gender-based discrimination within the sect: (1) early Meiji period efforts to modernize sect structure and eliminate the premodern temple hierarchy; (2) postwar constitutional changes to introduce a parliamentary system and to make the head priest into a symbolic leader; (3) contemporary bylaw changes to legalize female resident priests and, most recently, the redefinition of bōmori as the “spouses” rather than the “wives” of resident priests, opening the way for men to officially take on this role.
Jessica Main is a candidate for the Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Foundation Chair in Buddhism and Contemporary Society.
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