Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preliminary material / Ugo Dessì -- SHIN BUDDHISM AND JAPANESE SOCIETY / Ugo Dessì -- SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF HŌNEN’S PURE LAND DOCTRINES: AN INQUIRY INTO THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN BUDDHIST TEACHINGS AND INSTITUTIONS / Martin Repp -- SHIN BUDDHISM AND BURAKUMIN IN THE EDO PERIOD / Galen Amstutz -- SHINSHŪ STUDIES AND THE LEGACY OF LIBERAL THOUGHT IN JAPAN / Melissa Anne-Marie Curley -- TO LAMENT THE SELF: THE ETHICAL IDEOLOGY OF TAKEUCHI RYŌ’ON (1891–1968) AND THE ŌTANI-HA MOVEMENT AGAINST BURAKU DISCRIMINATION / Jessica L. Main -- SHIN BUDDHISM AND GENDER: THE DISCOURSE ON GENDER DISCRIMINATION AND RELATED REFORMS / Simone Heidegger -- SPEAKING THROUGH THE MEDIA: SHIN BUDDHISM, POPULAR CULTURE AND THE INTERNET / Elisabetta Porcu -- SHIN BUDDHISM AND GLOBALIZATION: ATTITUDES TOWARD THE POLITICAL SUBSYSTEM AND PLURALISM AT THE ORGANIZATIONAL AND INDIVIDUAL LEVELS / Ugo Dessì -- APPENDICES / Ugo Dessì -- LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS / Ugo Dessì -- INDEX / Ugo Dessì.

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Shin Buddhism (Jōdo Shinshū), although weakened in many ways by secularization, continues to be a stable presence in Japanese society, as is emblematically shown by the very symmetrical position of the Nishi (Honganji-ha) and the Higashi Honganji (Ōtani-ha) head temples in the center of Kyōto, and by the recent projects for their renovation. This book addresses the need for more academic research on Shin Buddhism, and is specifically directed at describing and analyzing distinctive social aspects of this religious tradition in historical and contemporary perspective. The contributions collected here cover a wide range of issues, including the intersection between Shin Buddhism and fields as diverse as politics, education, social movements, economy, culture and the media, social ethics, gender, and globalization.