Buddhist Culture Wars: Snowflake Sanghas to Alt-Right Buddhism (Feb. 25)

Karin Meyers, 2/52/21 (Eventbrite); JMR, Dhr. Seven, Ellie Askew (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

CURRENTS: An ongoing series of conversations on contemporary issues: EVENT: An anthropological study of rightwing sentiments and reactionary politics in American-convert Buddhism.

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• ONLINE EVENT: “The #BuddhistCultureWars: From Snowflake Sanghas to Alt-Right Buddhism”
• Host Karin Meyers with Ann Gleig and Brenna Artinger*
• Thursday, February 25th, 2021
• 5:00-6:30 PM PDT (8:00-9:30 PM EST)

While often associated with a liberal demographic, the online rhetoric of some increasingly conservative Buddhists — such as “snowflakes,” “politically correct,” “postmodern identity,” “cultural Marxism” — demonstrates the presence of rightwing sentiments in populations within American convert-Buddhism.

• VIDEO: "The Conservative Buddhist"?

American Dharma: Buddhism Beyond (Ann Gleig)

The speakers' research situates these sentiments largely as a reaction to the development of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in these communities.

They chart this backlash across a broad rightwing spectrum that spans from “reactionary centrism” — namely, those who say they’re politically neutral but who usually punch Left while sympathizing with the Right (Huertas, 2018) — to the alt-right.

These reactionary rightwing forms of American Buddhism are located in relationship to modern and postmodern forms of global Buddhism. Tickets: $0-$50

*GUEST EXPERTS

• Ann Gleig (she/her) is an associate professor of religion and cultural studies at the University of Central Florida. She is the author of American Dharma: Buddhism Beyond Modernity (Yale University Press, 2019)
• Brenna Artinger (they/them) is a researcher whose work focuses on exclusion and extremism. They hold a Masters of Philosophy in Buddhist Studies from the University of Oxford and is the president of the Alliance for Bhikkhunis.

Buddhist Currents Conversations is a monthly series of conversations with scholars in Buddhist Studies and related fields, offering critical perspectives on current social, political, economic, and ecological issues and crises in light of Buddhist history, thought, and practice. The intention of the series is to explore the relevance of Buddhist teachings for our times and to support and inspire socially transformative Buddhist practice. It is hosted by Karin Meyers. For more info, visit: buddhistcurrents.blog.