Serving the Gods in Modern Japan: Women in Contemporary Shinto

by Julia M Swoboda

459 pages, Hardcover

Published March 17, 2026

Reviews

[Kendra Lawrence]

I have an interest in religion in Japan (particularly in contemporary society), so I was interested in this book. However, while the subject matter itself intrigued me, it was 1)very expensive, though I suppose that is to be expected from an academic project with years of fieldwork, 2) was dry and poorly organized. I have read scholarly books that are interesting and engaging, but this was not it. While it had some interesting points, overall I don't see myself reading it all the way through, and will just use it as reference.