Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the publication of The Vestiges of Japanese Spirituality: Challenging the Standard Model of Religious History from Bloomsbury Academic.

By positioning Japan within a global perspective, Brian J. McVeigh challenges the "black-box" approach to psyche that dominates studies in the history of religion. He employs cultural psychological analysis by first highlighting how the sociohistorical forces that shape mental processes are ignored. Next, by exploring shamanism, oracular activities, and mountain asceticism or Shugendō, he presents the historical background of Japanese religion. By investigating spirit possession--a vestige of an obsolete neurocultural arrangement--McVeigh argues that the current practices of Japan's new religions are relics of an earlier mentality that have been creatively renovated and re-adapted for the present-day. Unlike other works, this book treats possession as a legitimate topic in and of itself, requiring explanatory analysis rather than dismissing it as a mere epiphenomenon. This genuinely interdisciplinary work transcends mainstream academic fields and will appeal not just to Japanese and Asian religion specialists, but to anyone interested in the psychology of religion and the history of spirituality.

More information at: https://www.amazon.com/Vestiges-Japanese-Spirituality-Challenging-Religious/dp/1666977934

https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/vestiges-of-japanese-spirituality-9781666977936/

With warm regards,

Brian J. McVeigh