Lecture: "From Disciples to Dissidents: Understanding Student Protests and Reform Movements in Meiji-era Buddhist Universities"

Within the early Meiji period, Buddhist higher educational institutions saw dramatic student protests. These movements were influenced by student activism in Japan and the West, and by institutional changes that professionalized the Buddhist priesthood. Student priests, seeking a voice in governance, challenged traditional authority and sparked reforms such as the removal of lay administrators and the creation of public discussion halls. These protests reflected broader trends in student activism and were pivotal in modernizing Japanese Buddhism, establishing academic freedom, and reshaping the relationship between religious and educational authority.

About the speaker

TORI MONTROSE (PhD University of Southern California) is a scholar of modern religion specializing in global Buddhism and Japanese religions. Her current research projects include the modernization of Buddhist education in Japan and female leadership in new Buddhist movements. In both her teaching and research, she is interested in the ways in which modernizing and globalizing forces intersect and interact with traditional religious groups. Tori's work has been published in the journal Japanese Religions, and in the edited volumes, Women and Representation in Buddhist Asia (forthcoming), Handbook of East Asian New Religious Movements (Brill, 2018) and Methods in Buddhist Studies (Bloomsbury, 2019).

Zoom Passcode 925877

• Associated reading group, September 5, "Daughters Lead the Way: Women Succssors in Japanese New Buddhist Movements”
• Full 2025-26 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FOR YEHAN NUMATA PROGRAM IN BUDDHIST STUDIES