Mark Rowe

Mark Rowe is an Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at McMaster University. His research focuses on East Asian Religions, Japanese Buddhism, and Socio-Cultural Anthropology, with a particular emphasis on the lived experiences of "non-eminent" Buddhist priests and the adaptation of doctrinal ideals to local contexts. He employs ethnographic methods to study how Buddhist teachings are negotiated and reshaped in daily practice, challenging frameworks that prioritize doctrinal orthodoxy over grounded realities.

Education:

• Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Religious Studies from McGill University
• Master of Arts in Religious Studies from Kyoto University
• PhD Equivalent (Hakushi Katei) in Eastern Religions from Kyoto University
• PhD in Religious Studies from Princeton University

Research Trends: His publications analyze themes like death rituals, gender dynamics in monastic institutions, and the socio-political dimensions of Buddhism in Japan. Articles span from ethnographic studies of female Buddhist priests (2017) to critiques of temple worldliness (2009), with recurring interest in funerary practices and Shin Buddhism.

Teaching: He instructs courses such as Anthropological Approaches to the Study of Asian Religions (RELIGST 709), Japanese Film and Religion (SCAR 3E03), and language courses in Japanese reading. Teaching spans 2000–2025, reflecting sustained engagement with Japanese religious culture and ethnographic theory.

Grants: Mentioned in McMaster's $5.8M SSHRC funding announcements, though specific grants for him are not detailed in the dataset.