TOHOKU UNIVERSITY

Events

Special Lecture by Mark R. Mullins, Director of the Japan Studies Centre at the University of Auckland

In his recent work, "Yasukuni Fundamentalism," Mark R. Mullins examines the relationship between religion and resurgent nationalism in contemporary Japan. Although religious fundamentalism is often thought to be confined to monotheistic "religions of the book," this study identifies the emergence of a fundamentalism rooted in the Shinto tradition and considers its role in shaping postwar Japanese nationalism and politics.

Over the past half-century, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the Association of Shintō Shrines, and, more recently Nippon Kaigi, have been engaged in collaborative efforts to "recover" or "restore" what was destroyed by the process of imperialist secularization during the Allied Occupation of Japan.

This seminar will highlight some of the key findings of this study, including the increased support for the political agenda to revive patriotic education, promote the Yasukuni Shrine and revise the constitution.

Date: January 28 (Fri)
Time: 4:30 - 6 p.m.
Language: English
Venue: Online
To register: https://bit.ly/mullins-lecture
Registration deadline: January 28, 10 a.m. (JST)

About the Speaker:

Mark R. Mullins is a professor of Japanese studies and director of the Japan Studies Centre at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Prior to this appointment in 2013, he was engaged in academic work in Japan for 27 years and taught at Shikoku Gakuin University, Meiji Gakuin University, and Sophia University. He is the author and co-editor of a number of important works, including "Disasters and Social Crisis in Contemporary Japan," co-edited with Kōichi Nakano (2016), and "Yasukuni Fundamentalism: Japanese Religions and the Politics of Restoration" (2021).

Contact:

Orion Klautau
Dept. of Global Japanese Studies
Graduate School of International Cultural Studies
Email: klautautohoku.ac.jp
Website: https://web.tohoku.ac.jp/modern-japan/

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