THEORIES OF THE SELF, RACE, AND ESSENTIALIZATION IN BUDDHISM: THE UNITED STATES AND THE ASIAN “OTHER,” 1899–1957. By RyanAnningson. Routledge Studies in Asian Religion and Philosophy. London and New York: Routledge, 2021. Pp. xii + 222. Hardback, $170.00; Paperback, $48.95.

Based on a doctoral dissertation submitted to Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada in 2017, this monograph investigates the implications of Buddhist "Aryanism" (i.e., Buddhism understood as a superior religion related to the Aryan "race") in the United States between the end of the nineteenth century and the late 1950s.As illustrated by Anningson, those years in American history marked the development of a distinctive "yellow peril" ideology, to which Buddhism largely responded through adaptations at the intersection of modernism and bio-racism.This book approaches the "Aryanization" of Buddhism in the United States from a broad perspective, starting with a discussion of the Aryan myth itself, its link to colonialism, racism in North American history, and the impact of these factors on the academic study of Buddhism in those years.Further background analyses are provided in Chapters Four and Five, which introduce examples of the use of Aryanism by various Buddhist players.Among these, one finds Anagārika Dharmapāla's (1864-1933) pseudo-scientific opposition of Europeans (identified with the "Dravidian camp") and Buddhists (identified with the superior "Aryan camp"), as well as the claim that Japanese Buddhism represents the "true Aryans" and the very pinnacle of Buddhism and civilization tout court.Japanese Buddhism features more preeminently in the following chapter, which compares the trajectories of Zen and Shin Buddhism.Here, Anningson identifies notably in American Zen a meaningful promotion of race-craft through a skillful use of the Aryan myth, while he acknowledges in American Shin also a certain tendency to reinterpret traditional doctrines through the lenses of secular thought.Although more careful editing would have perhaps eliminated many of the repetitions and made the text more readable, this volume certainly introduces new materials and provides some significant contributions to the discussion of race, ideology, and religion in the North American context.As such, it is suggested to scholars and students of Buddhism, religion in the United States, and East Asian religions in general to integrate their readings on these topics.

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