Podcast Summary:

New Books Network – New Books in Buddhist Studies
Episode Title: Scott A. Mitchell, "The Making of American Buddhism" (Oxford UP, 2023)
Date: December 30, 2025
Host: Tori Montrose
Guest: Dr. Scott A. Mitchell

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Tori Montrose interviews Dr. Scott A. Mitchell about his groundbreaking book, The Making of American Buddhism (Oxford UP, 2023). Dr. Mitchell delves into the overlooked history and cultural significance of Japanese American Buddhist communities—especially Jodo Shinshu Buddhism—in shaping what is considered "American Buddhism." The discussion touches on complex intersections of race, gender, generational trauma, identity, religious infrastructure, and historiography, while also reflecting on methodology and the importance of broadening the scope of Buddhist studies.

Dr. Scott Mitchell’s Background and Genesis of the Project

• Personal Journey into Buddhist Studies
  • Grew up in Los Angeles, in a “suburban wasteland,” with a religious yet questioning household.
  • Initially interested in philosophical questions about life leads to a degree in philosophy and religion.
  • Moves toward Buddhism through interests in interreligious dialogue and comparative studies, brought to the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) in Berkeley.

    “As soon as I arrived at the GTU, I discovered Jodo Shinshu Buddhism and the Institute of Buddhist Studies and became much more interested in the history of Buddhism in the United States and outside Asia and completely lost all interest in... interreligious side of things.” (03:05)

• Inspiration for the Book
  • Graduate research focused on Japanese American experiences, notably the Berkeley Buddhist Temple.
  • Sparked by co-teaching a class with David Matsumoto on Jodo Shinshu and Buddhist modernity; became enchanted by the tangible archive of the Berkeley Bussei magazine.
  • The encounter with physical artifacts and archival material was powerfully transformative, deepening his sense of historical connection and responsibility.

    “Coming into contact with a historical artifact... is a really interesting experience. It's much different than just reading about history... there's this, like, physicality to this object that was really powerful.” (06:10)

Structure and Methodology: Non-linear Narratives

• Dr. Mitchell chose an unconventional, non-linear approach to narrative structure, moving across time, geography, and discipline to capture the web-like nature of American Buddhist history.
• Sought to echo the interconnected complexity evident in the archival materials and lived experience of the communities studied.

  “I realized... the reason I'm struggling with this is because I'm trying to force these ideas that I have into a sort of conventional historical narrative. And letting go of that gave me that opportunity to be a bit more free and creative, I guess.” (11:55)

Key Themes and Discussion Points

The Title and Its Provocation

• Original title was “Mid-Century Modern Buddhism”; changed to reach a scholarly audience more clearly.
• Intentional Provocation: The term “American Buddhism” is strategically foregrounded to challenge common scholarly boundaries and assumptions, and to center Nisei Buddhists’ own self-identification.

  “Academics and scholars can argue and debate all they want about these terms, but here's this community 70 years ago who very clearly said, we are American Buddhists, and what are the implications of that?” (15:22)

Who Are the Nisei?

• Nisei: Second-generation Japanese Americans (children of Issei, who immigrated from Japan).
• Their generational position is pivotal due to age range, diverse experiences (from incarceration during WWII to U.S. military service), and their “bridge” function between Japanese and American identities.
• Focuses on the crucial, yet overlooked, figures of Kanmo and Jane Imamura, positioning them as central architects of American Buddhism in the 20th century.

  “These are these characters that we don't hear about very much, but once you discover them, it's hard to miss them... they're sort of everywhere. And yet, we don't talk about that contribution in the same way that we talk about Suzuki's...” (22:29)

The Nisei Problem: Buddhism, Race, and Identity (23:00-29:30)

• The so-called “Nisei problem” was a central concern—how Nisei could forge identity and community amidst marginalization, racism, and wartime trauma.
• Buddhist practice and institutions served both as a tool for resilience and solidarity, and as a subtle critique of American ideals.

  “Buddhism then becomes this way to create solidarity, becomes this way to sort of, you know, make this difficult situation a little bit more livable...” (27:09) “We are Americans, but we're not just like everybody else. And one of the ways that we're not like everybody else is because we're Buddhists. So let's double down on that... America is not perfect and we have the solution...” (29:15)

Gendered Labor and Religious Infrastructure (31:29-37:44)

• Dr. Mitchell—building on Jessica Starling’s work—foregrounds the often-invisible, gendered labor that sustains religious communities (“religious infrastructure”).
• Women like Jane Imamura, who described her multifaceted, vital roles, are central but typically uncredited.

  “The very possibility of American Buddhism is contingent upon the domestic, upon acts of hospitality, in short, upon the labor of women.” (Quoted in 31:29)

• Dr. Mitchell proposes attention to all kinds of essential labor–emotional, administrative, domestic–that scholarly focus usually overlooks.

Challenging Canon and Genre: Inclusion and Exclusion (43:38-48:49)

• The field of Buddhist studies often perpetuates certain genres and lineages, privileging textual or “Zen-centered” accounts and marginalizing figures and genres such as Jodo Shinshu or community-based publications.
• Dr. Mitchell argues for foregrounding “who” produces knowledge/art within Buddhist traditions, not just “what,” thus shifting disciplinary boundaries.

  “Through time and repetition... we tend to assume that Buddhism looks a certain way or that religion looks a certain way... what are we seeing and what are we not seeing?” (46:25)

• He encourages using more network-based, web-like metaphors for lineage and influence over rigid, vertical ones.

D. T. Suzuki’s Relationship with American Buddhism (37:44-43:38)

• A playful and incisive look at how Suzuki’s celebrated role is made possible by the support of Japanese American Buddhist networks.

  “What would have happened to Suzuki if he didn't have this community that was already here to help support him?... How did he get around? Who picked him up from the airport?” (41:17)

• Dr. Mitchell highlights the unseen labor and relationships that shape Buddhist history, moving beyond “great man” narratives.

Reflections, Utopian Thinking, and the Limits of Scholarship (48:49-57:03)

• Dr. Mitchell expresses hope for a more inclusive, less lineage-obsessed, and more self-critical field of Buddhist studies.
• In the epilogue, he invokes “utopian thinking,” inspired by personal, historical, and pandemic contexts, urging collective imagination for a more just and equitable scholarly and social world.

  “Each of us in our own little tiny world has a lot of control and power that we probably don't realize... could we create, you know, not a perfect utopia, but at least a little bit better of a world?” (56:10)

• Calls for humanizing scholarship by situating the personal alongside the intellectual.

Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• On the Book’s Title:

  “I liked both the invocation of making and American Buddhism. Right. So the making part to me evokes the actual building of these networks, the actual building of these communities, the actual making of stuff, which I feel like isn't really highlighted in a lot of Buddha studies scholarship.” (13:28)

• On Gendered Labor:

  “I really wanted to bring our attention back to that, to not just talk about the magazine itself or the names on the bylines, but what's going on behind the scenes?” (35:50)

• On the Limits of Canonical Narratives:

  “If we, instead of looking at the text, looked at something else... that's sort of her (Starling's) entrée into talking about a different kind of religious experience or the experience of religion...” (47:54)

• On Humanizing Scholarly Work:

  “We're humans, we're not just scholars.” (52:38)

• On Utopian Thinking:

  “If we were able to sort of shift our thinking a little bit, could we create, you know, not a perfect utopia, but at least a little bit better of a world? And maybe that's just the lesson that I was hoping to draw from this history and then apply it into our present moment.” (56:10)

Timestamps of Major Sections

• Dr. Mitchell’s Background & Project Origins: 01:58–07:25
• Structure & Nonlinear History: 09:02–12:26
• The Title & "American Buddhism": 12:26–15:40
• Who Are the Nisei? And the Imamuras: 15:40–23:00
• The Nisei Problem, Race & Religious Identity: 23:00–29:30
• Gender, Labor, & Religious Infrastructure: 31:29–37:44
• DT Suzuki and Overlooked Networks: 37:44–43:38
• Canon, Genre, and Exclusion: 43:38–48:49
• Toward a Networked, Humanized Buddhist Studies: 48:49–57:03
• Future Directions (Epilogue and Beyond): 57:03–End

Closing and Future Directions

Dr. Mitchell is on a scholarly pause, reflecting deeply on the themes of inclusion, infrastructure, and new methodologies, and considering more accessible writing for broader audiences.

“I'm thinking about writing more of this, of the epilogue kind of stuff, stuff that can more approachable for a wider audience and have more applicability to what's happening in the world.” (57:35)

This episode offers a resonant, hopeful, and nuanced look at American Buddhism’s making—a work as much about who builds Buddhist life as about the intellectual and material histories they inhabit.