Reading Religion is an open book review website published by the American Academy of Religion. The site provides up-to-date coverage of scholarly publishing in religious studies, reviewed by scholars with special interest and/or expertise in the relevant subfields. Reviews aim to be concise, comprehensive, and timely. Below, the editors of Reading Religion have selected some books and reviews from the site and have shared some titles available to review. If you’re interested in reviewing books for Reading Religion, take a look at the guidelines. If there are any books missing from the Reading Religion site that you think should be there, email [email protected].
By Kevin Cawley
From the publisher: "Religious and Philosophical Traditions of Korea addresses a wide range of traditions, serving as a guide to those interested in Buddhism, Confucianism, Shamanism, Christianity and many others. It brings readers along a journey from the past to the present, moving beyond the confines of the Korean peninsula. In this book Kevin N. Cawley examines the different ideas which have shaped a vibrant and exciting intellectual history and engages with some of the key texts and figures from Korea’s intellectual traditions. This comprehensive and riveting text emphasizes how some of these ideas have real relevance in the world today and how they have practical value for our lives in the twenty-first century."
By Muhammad Adlin Sila
From the publisher: "By examining the various ways Bima Muslims constitute their Islamic identities and agencies through rituals and festivals, this book argues that religious practice is still vigorous in present Bima. It explores the reproduction of religious meanings among various local Muslims and the differences between social groups. Islam is represented as divided between the traditionalist Muslims and the reformist Muslims, between the royal family and the ordinary Muslims, and between Muslim clerics and lay people. Consequently, there is no single picture of Islam. As Bima Muslims construe their Islam in response to their surroundings, what it means to be a Muslim is constantly being negotiated. The complexity of religious life has been a result of the duality of socio-political settings in Bima which stems from the early period of the Islamization of Bima to the present."
By Lu Zhouxiang
From the publisher: "Shaolin Monastery at Mount Song is considered the epicenter of the Chan school of Buddhism. It is also well known for its martial arts tradition and has long been regarded as a special cultural heritage site and an important symbol of the Chinese nation. This book is the first scholarly work in English to comprehensively examine the full history of Shaolin Monastery from 496 to 2016. More importantly, it offers a clear grasp of the origins and development of Chan Buddhism through an examination of Shaolin, and highlights the role of Shaolin and Shaolin kung fu in the construction of a national identity among the Chinese people in the past two centuries."
By Li Ma
From the publisher: "Christian Women and Modern China presents a social history of women pioneers in Chinese Protestantism from the 1880s to the 2010s. The author interrupts a hegemonic framework of historical narratives by exploring formal institutions and rules as well as social networks and social norms that shape the lived experiences of women. This book achieves a more nuanced understanding about the interplays of Christianity, gender, power and modern Chinese history. It reintroduces Chinese Christian women pioneers not only to women’s history and the history of Chinese Christianity, but also to the history of global Christian mission and the global history of many modern professions, such as medicine, education, literature, music, charity, journalism, and literature."
By Matt Tomlinson
From the publisher: "In this pathbreaking book, Matt Tomlinson engages in an anthropological conversation with the work of “contextual theologians,” exploring how the combination of Pacific Islands culture and Christianity shapes theological dialogues. Employing both scholarly research and ethnographic fieldwork, the author addresses a range of topics: from radical criticisms of biblical stories as inappropriate for Pacific audiences to celebrations of traditional gods such as Tagaloa as inherently Christian figures. This book presents a symphony of voices—engaged, critical, prophetic—from the contemporary Pacific’s leading religious thinkers and suggests how their work articulates with broad social transformations in the region."
By Duncan Ryüken Williams
From the review: “What makes Williams’s narrative so compelling is that it is not centered on the state or its subsidiaries but rather on the lived experiences of Japanese and Japanese American Buddhists. American Sutra encapsulates the very best of what ‘lived religion’ scholarship can and should be.” - Taylor W. Dean
By Chenxing Han
From the review: “[...]Han’s monograph is a welcome addition to the recent scholarly effort to go beyond the racial myopia in American Buddhism[...][Her]elegant prose and vivid narration will engender many frank conversations about race and religion in undergraduate courses related to global Buddhism, American religions, and Asian American studies.” – Jessica Xiaomin Zu
Edited and translated by Ann A. Pang-White
From the review: “[This book] is a gift for Anglophone scholarship on Chinese philosophy and religion. It is also a major step for feminist reclamation. This is the first time these texts have been translated together in their entirety, and Pang-White situates each text in its historical and cultural context with her introduction, commentary, and annotations.” – Sarah Mattice
By Young Lee Hertig
From the review: “While Asian traditional spirituality has been researched in recent years, this insightful topic is seriously underrepresented in the North American theological community and Asian-American evangelical churches. That is why Hertig’s contribution is exceptional and outstanding.” – Eunjin Jeon
By Kajri Jain
From the review: “Kajri Jain’s [book] is an ambitious account of the rise of colossi and monumental icons in modern India as dynamic and often-shifting sites of political ideology, religiosity, capitalist philanthropy, artistry, materiality, and identity[...]Jain’s monograph is a complex and challenging attempt at reframing the discussion around monumental iconography in India and its diaspora.” – Manasvin Rajagopalan