Aftermath: Religion in the Wake of Aum

It has been more than 16 years that the terrorist attack by Aum Shinrikyō gave rise to images of religion as dangerous, contributed to a growing tide of mistrust not only of new religions but of any organizational form of religion, spurred the rise of a vocal anti-cult movement, heightened the recurrent criticisms of religion in the mass media, produced changes in legislation relating to religions, and shifted the overarching paradigms of the relationship between religion state and society that have governed the post-war consensus.

This DIJ event brings together four distinguished experts to present the results of their research into the aftermath of the 1995 AUM affair.

Introduction: Religion in the wake of the 1995 Aum Affair
(Ian READER, Manchester University)

The Neo-Nationalist Response to the Aum Crisis:
A Return of Civil Religion and Coercion in the Public Sphere?
(Mark MULLINS, Sophia University)

Reactions to Aum and Waco in Comparative Perspective 
(Benjamin DORMAN, Nanzan University)

Hikari no Wa: the birth of a (non) New Religion
(Erica BAFFELLI, University of Otago)

Chair: Axel KLEIN (DIJ)