Japanese Religions Unit

Call for Proposals 

We invite papers sessions, individual papers, and roundtables that address all aspects of Japanese religion. To facilitate maximal exchange within and beyond Japanese religions, we prefer proposals that include explicit reflection on the study of religion more broadly. This year's presidential theme is "Futures,” although proposals need not be limited to this theme.

Below are topics proposed by our members this year. Please contact the person listed if you would like to collaborate on one of these topics:

• Environmentalism in Japanese religion. This panel explores how Japanese religious traditions—including but not limited to Shinto, Buddhism, and new religious movements—engage with contemporary environmental challenges and ecological thought. We welcome papers examining religious responses to climate change, sacred nature concepts, environmental activism, ritual ecology, and the intersections between traditional cosmologies and modern sustainability discourse. Contact person: James Mark Shields jms089@bucknell.edu.
• Anger and rage in Japanese religion. This panel explores how "rage" and "anger" manifest as poignant affects in Japanese religions. The panel welcomes papers analyzing how religious actors, discourses, and symbols in various historical contexts grounded themselves in rage, anger, and other related emotions/affects such as indignation, grudge, and resentment. Contact person: Takashi Miura  tmiura@arizona.edu.
• Religion and right-wing politics in contemporary Japan. In 2025, Japan witnessed major political realignments: the rise of its first female prime minister, the withdrawal of Komeito from its long-standing coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and the growing influence of new right-wing parties such as Sanseito. These shifts are transforming the religious–political landscape, creating new alliances. We invite papers that examine these emerging configurations and explore new horizons of interaction between Japanese religions and contemporary politics. Contact person: Kunihiko Terasawa kunihiko.terasawa@wartburg.edu.
• Visual culture in Japanese religion (for cosponsorship with Religion, Film and Visual Culture Unit). We seek proposals that explore the religious context of Japanese film, television, anime, and popular culture. We would also like proposals that show how visual culture has been employed in religious contexts, such as imagery, maps, illustrations, iconography, and collectibles. How do these contexts intersect and co-construct each other? Contact person: Mark MacWilliams (mmacwilliams@stlawu.edu)

We welcome proposals on other topics as well. Creative formats are encouraged (film, organized discussion, pre-circulated papers/texts, workshop, etc.), as are co-sponsored programs with other units of the AAR or associated societies.  For instance, recent co-sponsorship partners have included Asian North American Religion, Culture, and Society Unit; Sacred Space; and the Hagiography Society.  We encourage proposers to think broadly about ways they can engage their work on Japanese religion with current questions in the field, and with scholars working on religion in other parts of the world.

In submitting proposals, please follow the AAR guidelines carefully.  First-timers are encouraged to contact the co-chairs for additional advice.

Our Unit is committed to diversity and inclusion. We strongly encourage considering balance in terms of gender, ethnicity, nationality, and institutional affiliation, as well as balance between graduate students, junior scholars, and senior scholars. Showing little or no regard for such diversity will have an adverse effect on the likelihood that your proposal will be accepted.