NCC Center for the Study of Japanese Religions 
 

This special issue investigates the role of the body in Japanese religion, and how it has been configured in religious, historical, and cultural contexts from the medieval period to the modern era. It is commonly held that in the medieval period the body was largely conceptualized from the lens of religious thought and framed within ideas and taboos concerning purity, pollution, karma, as well as medical, embryological and astrological concerns. The modern period saw the rise of medical and pathological discourses which furthered the view of the body as grounded in biology.

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Addressing theoretical dilemmas and unresolved issues in the study of the body in Japan, this special double issue looks for links across time and space, pay attention to embodiment, affect and sexuality, while rethinking the theoretical parameters of the study of the body in Japanese religions.

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The issue is available as a paperback on amazon: https://www.amazon.co.jp