Thomas David DuBois - Religion and the Making of Modern East Asia [2011] [A]

Religious ideas and actors have shaped Asian cultural practices for millennia, and have played a decisive role in charting the course of its history. In this engaging and informative book, Thomas David DuBois sets out to explain how religion has influenced the political, social, and economic transformation of Asia from the fourteenth century to the present day. Crossing a broad terrain from Tokyo to Tibet, the book highlights long-term trends and key moments, such as the expulsion of Catholic missionaries from Japan, or the Taiping Rebellion in China, when religion dramatically transformed the political fate of a nation. Contemporary chapters reflect on the wartime deification of the Japanese emperor, Marxism as religion, the persecution of the Dalai Lama, and the fate of Asian religion in a globalized world.

Reviews
"A compelling narrative and a riveting read. These chapters succeed in demonstrating the centrality of religion in the making of modern East Asia ... There is no such comparable narrative in the existing literature."
--Edward L. Davis, University of Hawaii

"DuBois weaves the threads of his story--and he is a very able storyteller--seamlessly right up to current times"
-- Education About East Asia

Book Description
Religion and religious ideas have played a fundamental role in the shaping of Asian history, society, and cultural practices. Thomas David DuBois sets out to explain how religious traditions and philosophies in China and Japan have evolved and intersected since the birth of Confucianism in China and the arrival of Buddhism in Japan. The book concentrates on the post-fourteenth century, when the long-lasting political dynasties that transformed the political, social, and economic institutions of both countries came into being. It is these connections that the author is keen to highlight, and he does so to effect by using key moments, such as the Taiping Uprising and the Boxer Rebellion, to underscore the importance of religion in transforming the course of Asian history. Contemporary chapters reflect on the wartime deification of the Japanese emperor, Marxism as religion, and the persecution of the Dalai Lama. --This text refers to the Printed Access Code edition.