Shayne Dahl, PhD

No one tells you about the silence that follows the publication of your book. The silence before reviews. It’s a bardo for sure.

You’d be right.

Thank you, James. A student just submitted a paper citing you nearly every paragraph!

Hometown book launch!

Glad to see interest in Shugendo.

My book has arrived #Japan #Anthropology #Shugendo #Buddhism #Shinto

Poster for upcoming virtual bookshop. Text: THE SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF JAPANESE RELIGIONS PRESENTS SHUGENDŌ AND TIME: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF DEWA SANZAN A VIRTUAL BOOK TALK W/ DR. SHAYNE DAHL, UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY IN THIS TALK, DR. DAHL DISCUSSES KEY THEMES IN HIS FORTHCOMING BOOK, THE SECRET WORLD OF SHUGENDŌ: SACRED MOUNTAINS AND THE SEARCH FOR MEANING IN POST-DISASTER JAPAN (2025, UNC PRESS). DAHL MAKES THE CASE FOR ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO STUDYING CONTEMPORARY SHUGENDŌ AND JAPANESE RELIGIONS MORE BROADLY. DR, DAHL ALSO FOCUSES ON THE THEORETICAL SALIENCE OF TIME AS EXPRESSED THROUGH HISTORICAL CONSCIOUSNESS IN LOCAL TOURISM AND MOUNTAIN ASCETIC TRAINING PROGRAMS, DURING ANNUAL MOUNTAIN ENTRY RITUALS, AND IN EXISTENTIAL REFLECTION FACILITATED BY THE CULTURE AND PRACTICE OF SHUGENDŌ IN THE POST-DISASTER PERIOD. DAHL ARGUES THAT SACRED MOUNTAINS SUCH AS DEWA SANZAN EMBODY SPATIOTEMPORAL ALTERITY WITHIN CAPITALIST MODERNITY AS THEY PROVIDE PEOPLE LIVING IN AN ANXIOUS PRESENT WITH A SPACE TO REFLECT ON AND RECONNECT WITH THE PAST, TO REJUVENATE THEIR OVERWORKED LIVES IN THE PRESENT, AND PRAY FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR JAPAN. TUE. NOV. 11 6 PM U.S. PACIFIC TIME 9 PM U.S. EASTERN TIME // WED. NOV. 12 3 AM CENTRAL EUROPEAN TIME 10 AM JAPAN TIME

SSJR is running another book talk! Please join us in two weeks for @sdahl.bsky.social's talk. Register here: furman.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Working through final proofs #Japan

Happy to announce I’ll be an Assistant Professor of Anthropology with the University of Calgary from Aug. 1!

Anyone else watch “Hot Spot” ( #Japan #Netflix show)? Hilarious but very subtle!

Thnx for this! What does the Chinese gov see in Tibet that drives them toward long term settler colonial domination? Is Tibet rich in critical minerals & other resources that Chinese gov want?

UJ Bluesky banner showing us at 22,000 followers

Very grateful to everyone for getting us to 22K followers - thanks, all!

We're proud to call Bluesky our new social media home. If you love what we do, share this to help us spread the word about the Japan you don't learn about in anime.

Thnx! I hope you find it interesting & mind-expanding… there’s a lot of surprises in this book — even for seasoned scholars

Pre-order here! #Japan

The Secret World of Shugendo: Sacred Mountains and the Search for Meaning in Post-Disaster Japan|Paperback In this compelling narrative of discovery set in Japan’s remote Dewa Sanzan mountain range, Shayne A. P. Dahl describes Shugendō, a secretive religious tradition that combines aspects of ...

Now available for pre-order! #japan

The Secret World of Shugendo: Sacred Mountains and the Search for Meaning in Post-Disaster Japan|Paperback In this compelling narrative of discovery set in Japan’s remote Dewa Sanzan mountain range, Shayne A. P. Dahl describes Shugendō, a secretive religious tradition that combines aspects of ...

Now available for pre-order! #japan

Thnx! Been a long time coming — 12 of hard work.

Significantly revised for readability — I hope to engage undergrads!

Coming Fall 2025 w/ @uncpress Kudos to @adriancox108 for the photograph. Excited to share this with the world #japan #visitjapan #japanstyle #japanlife #buddhism #mountains #mountain #cooljapan

Hi everyone - I’m seeking a new role beginning July 1, 2025. Budget cuts have led to the termination of my position & I would appreciate your support. If you hear of any opportunities, please send me a message or comment below

🌎 I’m open to roles in Canada, Europe, and the United States.

Early reviews for my book, “The Secret World of Shugendo: Sacred Mountains and the Search for Meaning in Post-Disaster Japan,” (UNC Press) are coming in. Written over the course of 12 years. Expected to hit the shelves Fall 2025.

I love my new stamp.

Happy Setsubun!

I’ve come to really enjoy the experience of exam invigilation. It’s a special kind of quiet in the class on exam day, a deep meditation students experience as they process everything you’ve taught them. Connecting the dots into constellations, forming a paradigm/worldview of their own.

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Final revisions are in. What a rush!

Is the hardest part about writing a book letting it go?

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The holidays will be spent writing…. but the glory will be great when the book arrives.

I’ve heard it be described as “applied statistics,” which makes sense. Not sure what you mean by AI waiting for Levi-Strauss…? Sounds like an idea for an article I’d read though.

That sounds lovely. I wish we had automatic re-heatable baths in N. America.

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After the marathon of teaching comes the “body shutdown”: The illnesses that waited, like snakes coiled in the grass while you taught all semester, timing their attack the moment you submit final grades.