Religions: Buddhism in the United States and Canada

For the last year, IBS Dean Scott Mitchell has served as a guest editor for the journal Religions overseeing a special issue on Buddhism in the United States and Canada. From the journal:

Over the last century, Buddhism has grown and diversified in both the United States and Canada. Now well-established, Buddhist communities of practice have variously adapted or resisted adaptation to North American cultural norms. This volume, building on a wealth of recent scholarship, seeks to explore Buddhism as a lived tradition of practice with diverse local manifestations.

To date, contributors include IBS faculty and alumni including Dr. Richard Payne’s essay “Intertwined Sources of Buddhist Modernist Opposition to Ritual: History, Philosophy, Culture” and IBS alumnae Chenxing Han’s essay “Contesting “Conversion” and “Reversion” among Young Adult Asian American Buddhists.”

Other contributions include an ethnography of female monastic ordination, a review of Jack Kerouac’s Buddhist-inspired writing, and studies of Buddhism and medicine in North America.

The journal is open access, and all articles are freely downloadable from the website.