‘Seen’ as religious: social and institutional invisibility of Risshō Kōseikai’s youth

IF 1.3 0 RELIGION Religion State & Society Pub Date : 2023-05-27 DOI:10.1080/09637494.2023.2213516
Aura Di Febo
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Abstract

ABSTRACT This contribution investigates how young members of the Japanese lay Buddhist group Risshō Kōseikai have constructed their identity as a minority within both a society increasingly disengaged from religion and a rapidly ageing religious organisation. I argue that younger members of Kōseikai experience a condition of double ‘invisibility’ stemming from the intersection of outward and inward marginalisation. Kōseikai youths’ social interactions are informed by a fear of ‘being seen as religious’ resulting from widespread mistrust and negative public perceptions of religion (and new religions in particular). This has translated into a reticence to disclose their religiosity outside the congregation for fear of encountering prejudice and discrimination. But they also experience marginalisation as a minority within a rapidly ageing religious institution. Kōseikai youth have struggled to reconcile the high expectations of senior members with competing commitments and a lack of influence and decision-making power, which has curtailed their capacity for action and religious agency. Members of the older generation, often oblivious to shifting social circumstances and weakening religious commitment among youth, have resisted young members’ calls for change. Invisibility, however, has not only been suffered but also consciously chosen by members, thus reinforcing their marginalisation.
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“被视为”的宗教:risshhi Kōseikai青年的社会和制度隐形
这篇文章调查了日本居士佛教团体立宗Kōseikai的年轻成员如何在一个日益脱离宗教的社会和一个迅速老龄化的宗教组织中构建他们作为少数群体的身份。我认为,Kōseikai的年轻成员经历了一种双重“隐形”的状态,这种状态源于外向和内向边缘化的交集。Kōseikai年轻人的社会交往受到“被视为有宗教信仰”的恐惧的影响,这种恐惧源于公众对宗教(尤其是新兴宗教)的普遍不信任和负面看法。这就导致他们不愿在会众之外透露自己的宗教信仰,因为他们害怕遭遇偏见和歧视。但在一个迅速老龄化的宗教机构中,他们也经历了作为少数群体的边缘化。Kōseikai青年一直在努力调和高级成员的高期望与相互竞争的承诺以及缺乏影响力和决策权,这削弱了他们的行动能力和宗教机构。老一辈的成员往往无视社会环境的变化和年轻人对宗教信仰的削弱,抵制年轻成员要求变革的呼吁。然而,不被关注不仅是成员所遭受的,而且也是他们有意识地选择的,从而加强了他们的边缘化。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
1.90
自引率
10.00%
发文量
28
期刊介绍: Religion, State & Society has a long-established reputation as the leading English-language academic publication focusing on communist and formerly communist countries throughout the world, and the legacy of the encounter between religion and communism. To augment this brief Religion, State & Society has now expanded its coverage to include religious developments in countries which have not experienced communist rule, and to treat wider themes in a more systematic way. The journal encourages a comparative approach where appropriate, with the aim of revealing similarities and differences in the historical and current experience of countries, regions and religions, in stability or in transition.
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