Research

Jørn Borup (b. 1966) is an associate professor at the Department for the Study of Religion  with a special interest in Buddhism, Japanese religion, religious diversity, and the theory of religious studies.

In addition to various journal articles and (text) books in Danish, I am the author of "Who owns Buddhism? Decolonising the Study of Religion, and Beyond" (Routledge 2023), "Japanese Rinzai Zen Buddhism: Myōshinji, a Living Religion" (Brill 2008), and I have co-edited several anthologies.

Profile

I enjoy Aarhus, but I am also comfortable in international settings at conferences and fieldwork in Asia. I have visited Japan several times over the years and readily acknowledge my professional Japanophilia.

Cooperation and dissemination

In addition to my own research projects on modern Japanese Zen Buddhism (Ph.D.), the religiosity of Vietnamese in Denmark (postdoc), and decolonisation (Carlsberg monograph scholarship), I have been involved in collective projects on religious pluralism, modern Buddhism, religious diversity in Asia, transnational spirituality, Japanese Buddhism in Europe, mindfulness, Buddhism and business. I am involved in the project Buddhism and Waste as well as projects on Buddhism in the Nordics and Europe.

Teaching

Over the years, I have taught a wide range of subjects including Buddhism, Japanese religion, phenomenology of religion, general history of religions, and various thematic courses at the master's level. Since my student days, I have participated in outreach activities beyond the university, engaging with Folkeuniversitetet, high schools, various news media, and professional communication forums. I have written three textbooks and hope to write the one on Buddhism within a few years.

Job responsibilities

As a former department head (Study of Religion), center director (Centre for Contemporary Religion), and chairman of DASR (Danish Association for the Study of Religion), I have worked to strengthen the field both internally and externally.