Religion and Change in Contemporary Asia

Religion and Change in Contemporary Asia was first published in 1971. Asia, the source of the great religions of mankind, faces today the trends toward Westernized industrialization and nationalism, but the traditional religions continue to be vital forces in the process of development and change. This volume presents case studies of the contemporary role of religion in seven Asian nations—China, Japan, Vietnam, India, Burma, Pakistan, and Indonesia. Each essay is by a specialist with long-term, firsthand experience in the area, and the contributors represent various academic disciplines, including anthropology, history, political science, and history of religions. The studies not only show the effects of the past, as in such great traditions as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, and Shinto, but also consider the developments of the new religions in Asia today.The authors describe the process of change, asking what is the role of religion in furthering nationalist goals and in bridging the gap between past and present. Arthur F. Wright of Yale University describes the issues relating to Buddhism in modern and contemporary China. Joseph M. Kitagawa of the University of Chicago discusses the new religions in Japan, in historical perspective. I. Milton Sacks of Brandeis University writes on religious components in Vietnamese politics. Agehananda Bharati of Syracuse University discusses Hinduism and modernization in India. Manning Nash of the University of Chicago considers the Burmese experience in Buddhist revitalization. Aziz Ahmad of the University of Toronto treats Islam and democracy in Pakistan. Robert R. Jay of Brown University discusses religious and political conflict in Indonesia. Robert F. Spencer, the volume editor and author of its introduction, was a professor of anthropology at the University of Minnesota.