ICYMI

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been all about DIY Halloween costumes that are both dark and goofy. This year I went as the space shuttle Challenger, in a tip of the hat to one of the more horrifying public memory events of my childhood. 🎃

I'm delivering a public lecture and leading a roundtable discussion on the religion of anime on Nov. 12 at 7:00 PM ET. Flyer with registration information below. This is hosted by the US JET Alumni Association, but is open to the public for a small fee. usjetaa.wildapricot.org/event-6396204

I’m somewhat skeptical of the area studies enterprise because there is no central question, but I love seeing attempts to rethink the area studies project via other disciplines. (And despite my skepticism, I think the deep knowledge area studies provides is indispensable/irreplaceable.)

the vibe since this was announced

We now enter the most dangerous phase, but also the one with the greatest opportunity. The U.S. has thousands of colleges, some run by red state governments, so it's too much to hope that NONE sign up for this federal takeover. But it matters WHO signs up. The administration is taking a risk.

Excellent summary of the big politics news out of Japan today.

These Activists Want to Dismantle Public Schools. Now They Run the Education Department. www.propublica.org/article/educ...

Very proud of Kirby’s work in this open-access article. It marks a novel intervention in the prison religion literature and a unique angle on the “Buddhism in America” lit.

This is great. “And so all universities have to do now is do nothing—no accepting the compact, no counter-offers, nothing—and the government will be left with no more power to coerce and control the First Amendment-protected activities of major American universities than it has today.”

I wrote about why the regrettable conclusions of Ezra Klein pissed me off so badly in the last couple weeks. On moral cowardice in an era that calls for clarity, and a popular political instinct to try to solve divisions of abuse by ignoring causes. www.the-reframe.com/eventually-y...

Yes. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...?

If you are thinking of applying to our program, DEFINITELY attend this session. It will help you determine if the PhD is right for you and will also include tips on how to craft a competitive application.

An excellent piece on the complex historical underpinnings and transnational ramifications of our present moment.

Always read @tressiemcphd.bsky.social , but definitely read this.

The Case for Fiscal Insurgency moneyontheleft.org/2025/09/18/t...

Very grateful to folks at @ctrrelpol-washu.bsky.social for engaging conversation and constructive feedback on a WIP today. I learned so much!

More content like this.

日本郵便は２５日、米国向け郵便物の一部について２７日から引き受けを一時停止すると発表した。米関税措置に関連して運送事業者や郵便事業者が実施すべき手続きが不明確で運用が極めて困難な状況だという。 bit.ly/4mrbdaS

"If your books were uploaded to LibGen/fed into the LLMs, add your name to the potential class action lawsuit by tomorrow." Details: LibDem database: www.theatlantic.com/technology/a... Attorney form: www.lieffcabraser.com/anthropic-au... (This information comes via a reliable Discord source.)

This piece by @laurenginsberg.bsky.social is excellent.

Following this with interest as I'm teaching my own version of a course like this, "The 'Field' of Religious Studies" in Spring 2026. My approach is to treat the history of religious studies as the history of area studies and vice versa. Piggybacking here for recs of things folks find fun!

Postdoc at Penn for 2026–2027 academic year, with focus on the keyword "Practice." Might be good for some scholars of religion. wolfhumanities.upenn.edu/fellowships/...

This is very bad. Although entirely predictable. Once more the humanities are being cut back to prop up STEM and, increasingly, AI investment (including at the expense of bench science). In the past, cuts to humanities were promoted on two separate logic streams that do not hold true: /1

I don’t quite agree with the title if this editorial, but I applaud these intrepid student journalists for reminding the university that actions should match stated values and principles. www.thedp.com/article/2025...

The Asahi Shinbun reports that Young Magazine will be published in print form in the US starting August 21. Lots of fascinating details in the article about everything from cover design to serialization strategy. 米国版「ヤンマガ」刊行、1冊1千ページ無料配布　ジャンプは9言語 digital.asahi.com/articles/AST...

"Learn to code" was always bad advice, unless you actually like to code. College students have the best chance of professional success if they major in topics that interest them. Today in @startribune.com. Please tell high school students and parents. www.startribune.com/what-should-...

Huge news in the St. Isidore case. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Another disturbing attack on higher education, this time via restrictive immigration policy.

Very informative thread on India-Pakistan

Recommended reading: SCOTUS's two big school cases aren't just about religion. From Aaron Tang: These cases could upend the tradition of broad community guidance of school curriculum and values. www.politico.com/news/magazin...

This is high art

Cory Booker is still killing it, just shy of 24 hours. As others have said, this is actually a GOOD speech. Has been all day.

Many of our current problems in academia boil down to this: The people with the greatest decision-making power at a university have no idea what professors and our students do, nor why we do it. And many of them are actively hostile to us. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I screwed up the link yesterday, so here is this article again for the Saturday morning crowd. I talked with one of Penn’s talented student journalists about the state of the humanities, stressing the power and promise of what humanists do: www.34st.com/article/2025...

👀

A good reason to ask the question below: ohiocapitaljournal.com/briefs/ohio-...

"We have ICE on our streets abducting people because Donald Trump or Marco Rubio don't like their speech. That's crazy, and we have to figure out how to respond to it," Rutgers professor + @aaup.bsky.social president Todd Wolfson tells @leximcmenamin.bsky.social www.teenvogue.com/story/aaup-t...

A talented student journalist interviewed me for this article about the state of the humanities. thedp.com/article/2025...

Thank you for your service, @unlawfulentries.bsky.social Great article.

The video is sickening. The act horrendous and unconscionable. The context truly chilling.

On my way to Fairfax for a talk at GMU. Basically compressing my "Religion of Anime" semester-long course into a one-hour lecture. Let's see if I can do this. religiousstudies.gmu.edu/articles/21851

A weird outcome the Abe Shinzō assassination. Viewed in historical context, this court decision implicitly validates vigilantism; it also marks a major change in 🇯🇵 religious freedom law. Tokyo court strips Unification Church of religious corporation status www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03...

Excellent essay (begins on p. 25)

Portland! If you need a way to kill time this afternoon, I’m giving a talk @ 5PM: www.lclark.edu/calendars/ev...

There are so many errors in the reasoning of this conversation that it is hard to know where to begin one’s critique. But a key takeaway for any university admin should be that now is the time to defend principles, not cower in compliance.

Pete Coviello is so spot on throughout here. www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...