John Harding

John Harding is Professor of East Asian Religions in the Department of History and Religion at the University of Lethbridge, Canada. He has served multiple terms as department chair (2010-2013, 2015, 2018, 2022-2023) and was the founding coordinator of the Asian Studies minor (2013-2017, 2022). He currently teaches Zen Buddhism and World Religions and is a visiting scholar at Aarhus University, Denmark (April–May 2024).

Education:

• BA, Asian Studies (minor Religion), University of Puget Sound, 1994
• PhD, Religious Studies, University of Pennsylvania, 2003
• Research stays in Japan and one year at the University of Cambridge, England

Research Interests:

Harding specializes in Japanese Buddhism and the global modernization of Buddhism over the past 150 years. His work emphasizes cross-cultural exchanges between Asia and the West, including studies of Buddhism in Canada (notably Jōdo Shinshū in southern Alberta) and transnational Buddhist networks. A secondary focus is the theory and method of studying religion, reflected in widely used textbooks co-authored with Hillary Rodrigues.

Recent Publications & Trends:

From 2008 to 2024, his publications reveal a sustained investigation into the globalization of Buddhism. Monographs such as Mahayana Phoenix (2008) and Buddhism in the Global Eye (2020) map Japanese and Canadian Buddhist identities within transnational contexts. Edited collections including Wild Geese (2010) and Flowers on the Rock (2014) extend this inquiry to Canadian Buddhist communities, while theoretical pieces interrogate secularization and pedagogy in religious studies.

Grants & Awards:

• SSHRC Insight Grant, “The Modernization of Buddhism in Global Perspective,” 2013–2022, CAD $258,659 (PI, with Victor Sōgen Hori & Alexander Soucy)
• University of Lethbridge Research Fund, “CREDO: Buddhist Developments of the Western Frontier,” 2009–2011, CAD $17,300
• University of Lethbridge Research Fund, “Cultural Responses to Contested Claims of Sacred Place,” 2005, CAD $8,500

Labs, Teams & Service:

Harding co-directs the Global Buddha research network (globalbuddha.org) with Hori and Soucy, which disseminates findings from their SSHRC project. He is a past president and current board member of the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden, serves on editorial boards, and regularly delivers public lectures such as the “Buddha’s World Tour” PUBlic Professor Series talk (2015).