Mothers and Moral Activists: Observing Religious Informal Volunteering in Japan
Many sociological studies have discussed the importance of religion and gender as two key components facilitating civic engagement, which in turn is believed to foster citizenship and democratization. Most female members of Japanese new religions engage in a variety of service-oriented volunteer ini...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
[2018]
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| In: |
Journal of Religion in Japan
Year: 2018, Volume: 7, Issue: 2, Pages: 93-125 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Japan
/ Voluntary service
/ Religiosity
/ Woman
/ Gender-specific role
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| IxTheo Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy AE Psychology of religion AG Religious life; material religion AZ New religious movements KBM Asia NCB Personal ethics RK Charity work |
| Further subjects: | B
Democratization
B diffused religiosity B Gender B neoliberal motherhood B religious informal volunteering |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Many sociological studies have discussed the importance of religion and gender as two key components facilitating civic engagement, which in turn is believed to foster citizenship and democratization. Most female members of Japanese new religions engage in a variety of service-oriented volunteer initiatives where they tend to provide help and support to individuals directly, outside of organized volunteer organizations and civic associations. Such volunteer behaviour is defined in the literature as informal volunteering. In this respect, this paper addresses three main questions: 1) What aspects of religiosity relate to women's participation in informal volunteering sponsored by Japanese religious organizations? 2) What specific volunteer models of women's social engagement are articulated through informal volunteering and what is the dominant background neoliberal ideology? 3) How do these models foster women's citizenship and social participation? This paper draws upon two sets of qualitative data (2010-2012 and 2015-2017) of religious-based volunteer activities performed by women belonging to four Japanese religious organizations: Risshō Kōseikai 立正佼成会, Shinnyoen 真如苑, the Roman Catholic Church in Japan (Nihon Katorikku Kyōkai 日本カトリック教会), and GLA ジーエルエー (God Light Association). |
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| ISSN: | 2211-8349 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Religion in Japan
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/22118349-00702003 |