Dissertationsprojekt von Laura Brandt, M.A.

"Religions and Museums in Contemporary Japan"

Museums are ideological battlegrounds — and have been through all of their history. They were founded on the ideals of educating the masses and solidifying modern nation-states. In the past decade, these institutions have been critically re-examined, especially concerning their participation in colonialist lootings and the biased presentation of the marginalized. The modern museum is on the verge of redefining its institutional character, navigating the universal strive for knowledge and the local communities it aims to serve. The current relevance of museums and the public attention they garner is undeniable.

As places where history is actively constructed, museums have long been of scholarly interest for the study of religion. An abundance of literature focuses especially on the religious items that were for some reason or other placed in the care of museums. How are those items framed through collection and exhibition? How do their functions and meanings shift? How can scholars of religious studies contribute to inter-religious and intercultural debates about the depiction of religion(s) in museum spaces? Building upon this scholarship, alternative examinations of museum spaces broaden the horizon of inquiry to include not only religious things, but also phenomena such as museum architecture, religious narratives in science museums, or the transcendent experiences that some people may ascribe to art.

My dissertation will present an examination of the relationships between museums and religion(s) in contemporary Japan. Beginning with the Meiji Restauration in 1868, Japan entered a century of rapid modernization that reshaped not only the entire political system and public life but also the field of religion. The subsequent redefinition of Shintō and Buddhism, of the religious and the secular, also coincided with the demarcation of ritual objects, cultural treasures, heritage, and art. A special emphasis will be put on new religious organizations, which not only often emulate structures of the state, but are also able to gather dedicated members and sufficient funds to open their own art museums. Institutions like the MIHO Museum, the Tōkyō Fuji Art Museum, the Mokichi Okada Association Museum of Art, and the Hanzomon Museum present new religious movements with innovative ways to garner attention and shape visitors’ experiences.

Besides questioning the ideologies and goals of museums as institutions and the religious groups who maintain them, the theories of Material Religion and Visual Culture will firmly root the examination of museums in the realm of social realities and practices.