Description
Book SynopsisBased on research in a small congregation in northern Japan and in-depth interviews with foreign missionaries, Japanese Saints is the first book to provide an in-depth, qualitative examination of what it is like to be a Japanese Mormon.
Trade ReviewFascinating and highly readable book, as it does not just give insights into the Mormon Church in Japan but also sketches its members and organization against the wider Japanese religious and political context. Hoffman offers many new insights into the LDS conversion experience in a country that is rarely studiedddd * BYU Studies Quarterly *
Japanese Saints is a valuable contribution to a growing body of literature on Mormonism outside of the United States….The book will be a useful starting point for scholars interested in international Mormonism, and one may hope that it will prompt a number of further research projects on Mormonism in Japan. * Journal of Religion, July 2008 *
Japanese Saints is a finely crafted work, thoroughly grounded in relevant theoretical, historical, and empirical literature and bolstered by Hoffmann's own field observations and first-hand interviews. Hoffmann's primary purpose is to tell us how, why, to what degree, and with what consequences certain Japanese make the surprising decision to at least temporarily become Mormons. But, by analyzing the Mormon missionary enterprise in Japan as an illuminating case study, he also addresses many of the major issues that are interesting to contemporary sociologists of religion. -- Gary Shepherd, Oakland University
Fascinating and highly readable book, as it does not just give insights into the Mormon Church in Japan but also sketches its members and organization against the wider Japanese religious and political context. Hoffman offers many new insights into the LDS conversion experience in a country that is rarely studied * BYU Studies Quarterly *
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Japanese History, Christianity, and the LDS Church Chapter 3 Toward an Understanding of Religious and Japanese Identities Chapter 4 Joining the Church, Leaving the Church Chapter 5 What it Means to be a Latter-day Saint Chapter 6 Identity Balance: Conflicts and Reconciliations Chapter 7 Church Work as Identity Work Chapter 8 Missionary Work in Japan Chapter 9 Japanese Identity, Mormon Identity: Sketches and Conclusions Chapter 10 Appendix: Research Methos
