Transnational Buddhist Networks in Early Modern East Asia: Mobility, Materiality, and Inter-Religious Exchanges

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite your submissions for a Special Issue dedicated to the theme of “Transnational Buddhist Networks in Early Modern East Asia: Mobility, Materiality, and Inter-Religious Exchanges.” This Special Issue attempts to reconceptualize Buddhist networks within the historical context of early modern East Asia with a focus on the various forms of movement of Buddhism, in terms of material objects and its interaction with other religions.

The time-frame is focused on a period of rapid changes, namely the post-sixteenth century, the period after the Great East Asian War (1592–1598) that involved the three powers of East Asia, China, Korea, and Japan. Buddhism in the East Asian region changed in many ways, responding to the new socio-political and historical circumstances in order to stay relevant in a new world. This specific period from the beginning of the seventeenth century to the start of the twentieth century corresponds to the last imperial dynasty of China, Qing (1644–1912), which in turn corresponds with the late Choson period (1600–1910) of Korea and with the Japanese Edo (1603–1868) and Meiji (1868–1912) periods.

The main question this Special Issue addresses is, “What forms of ‘Buddhist’ network and exchanges were there?” So far, little attention has been given to the interactions that took place with the neighboring Buddhist brothers and sisters between the three major traditions of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese monastics. Moreover, addressed are the issues of over-emphasis on Buddhist doctrine and scriptures rather than Buddhist material objects and the interaction and exchanges with other religious traditions.

One of the problems for such conceptions can be traced to the notion of transmission of the teachings of Buddhism across regions and borders. Normally, Buddhist movements have been described as a form of “transmitting the dharma” (chŏnbŏp 傳法), or “transmitting the teachings” (chŏngyo 傳敎), or even as “seeking the dharma” (kubŏp 求法), processes that are described to have happened in terms of the movement of teachings of doctrine and thought. In other words, interactions and transmissions were limited to those related to purely text transmissions or only related to ideas of religion. This has resulted in the isolation of such movements from the socio-historical conditions of the time.

If we extend beyond such narrow conception of what constitutes Buddhist networks and exchanges, we can indeed envision flows of other aspects of Buddhism across regions and borders that have shaped and developed Buddhism in various ways. This Special Issue suggests an approach that recognizes Buddhist artifacts as part of Buddhism, and the need to approach Buddhism as practiced within the community taking place within a certain historical context. This Special Issue explores what can be referred to as other movements and interactions that have been considered outside the boundaries of traditional Buddhist studies. In essence, the Special Issue is an attempt to re-envision how Buddhism in various forms was transmitted throughout East Asia during a time of significant historical changes.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editors, Dr. Sung-Eun Thomas Kim (tsghim@dongguk.edu) and Prof. Dr. Yong-tae Kim (yotai@dongguk.edu), and cc the Assistant Editor Ms. Clare Chai (clare.chai@mdpi.com) of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Sung-Eun Thomas Kim
Prof. Dr. Yong-tae Kim
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• East Asian Buddhism
• transmission of Buddhism
• societal relevance
• early modern period
• Buddhist practices and ritualism
• the Great East Asian War