Journal of Dharma

Between the Iron Wall and the Void: National Conservatism, Radical Gender Ideology and the Wisdom of the Middle Path

Mathew Attumkal — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The contemporary world finds itself suspended between competing moral certainties, each claiming to safeguard human dignity while simultaneously deepening social fracture. National conservatism and radical gender ideology have emerged as two dominant and often antagonistic frameworks shaping political discourse, public policy, educational curricula and personal identities across the globe. Both present themselves as responses to perceived crises—one to cultural disintegration and moral relativism, the other to historical injustice and structural oppression. Yet, the intensity with which these positions are defended often produces more heat than light, transforming legitimate ethical concerns into polarising absolutes. This issue of the Journal of Dharma highlights a pointed question: Do these ideological trajectories signify social prosperity, or are they symptoms of a deeper moral and spiritual impoverishment? To approach this question meaningfully, this editorial proposes a deliberate shift away from ideological extremities toward a wisdom tradition that has long warned against the dangers of absolutism—the Buddha’s Middle Path (Majjhimā Paṭipadā). Articulated in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, the Buddha rejects both self-indulgence and self-mortification as unworthy extremes, affirming instead a path of ethical discernment, relational balance and compassionate realism. “Avoiding both extremes,” the Buddha teaches, “the Tathāgata has awakened to the middle way, which gives rise to vision, knowledge, peace, insight and liberation” (SN 56.11). Though articulated in a radically different historical context, this insight offers a powerful guideline for examining the veracity of today’s ideological polarization

“Made for Man, Not for the Sabbath”: Queering the Boundaries of Heteronormativity and National Conservatism

Bhoomi J. N. — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

When national conservatism entrenches rigid gender binaries as ideological strongholds, how might Jesus’ radical declaration – “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27) - disrupt the heteronormative echo chambers that silence queer voices? This article reveals heteronormativity as a self-perpetuating regime, intensified by authoritarian state actions such as recent U.S. executive orders redefining “sex” in restrictive, exclusionary terms, thereby marginalizing transgender, non-binary and intersex lives on a vast scale. Drawing on Judith Butler’s theory of queer performativity, Nguyen’s notion of epistemic bubbles and the UN 2030 Agenda, the article critiques national conservatism’s anti-gender campaign as a grave assault on human dignity. It urges a decisive ethical reorientation: law must advance human flourishing, not sustain oppressive norms. A biblically grounded ethic of love has to challenge today’s populist patriarchies.

Tradition and Transition: Mapping Asia’s SBNR Identities Amidst Radical Ideologies

Arnab Basu & Nadindla Srividya — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This PRISMA-guided systematic review examines how "spiritual but not religious" (SBNR) identities among Asian young adults are shaped by national conservatism and current gender ideology, including their meanings, practices, well-being and social positioning. The article, based on papers published between 2010 and 2025, identifies three geographical patterns: value-based, nationalist spirituality in South Asia; personalized, disaffiliated spiritual expressions in East Asia; and higher-education-mediated SBNR orientations in Gulf/West Asia. Ideological influences reshape social hierarchies across regions, whereas inclusive spiritual practices provide limited but meaningful alignment with the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The authors highlight the importance of cross-national and longitudinal research.

Global Pop, National Conservatism and Gender Ideology Among Gen Z in China

Mengtian Wu — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The study reveals the functions of global popular culture as an ideological interface in which national conservatism and gender ideology are reinvented among Generation Z in China. It challenges assumptions that cultural globalization equals cultural liberalization, and/or youth culture equals resistance, by arguing that global popular culture in China is deeply domestic and shaped by digital platforms, nationalist discourses, and state-oriented regulations. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks, such as globalization, nationalism and gender theory, the paper examines the process of localization, state-oriented regulations and interpretation of transnational pop forms in China. Through a qualitative approach, cultural studies, discourse analysis and textual interpretation, the study shows how global aesthetics frequently reinforce heteronormative gender norms and banal nationalism. Finally, by theorizing global pop culture as an interface, rather than an import, the paper contributes to a broader discourse on globalization, politics, and ideological reproduction in digitally mediated societies.

Sacred Subversions: Bhakti, Androgyny and Queer Affect in Bengali Vaishnav Literature

Sourav Das & Jaipal — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Drawing on queer theory and affect studies, this paper examines queer religiosity within Bengali Vaishnav traditions from the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries, a period marked by intense Bhakti expression in vernacular literature. Through a close reading of Vaishnav Padavalis by poets like Chandidas and Govindadas, it explores how devotional lyrics of viraha (separation) and longing for Krishna are voiced through Radha and other female devotees. Male poets and practitioners thus perform feminine subjectivities, subtly unsettling, fixed gender roles within a theologically sanctioned framework. The study argues that these devotional practices constitute a form of spiritualized queerness, where divine love enables gender fluidity and non-normative affect. Engaging Vaishnav-Sahajiya theology, particularly its esoteric model of Radha–Krishna union as mystical androgyny, the paper demonstrates how early Bengali Vaishnav literature articulates embodied, premodern queer spiritualities beyond modern Western identity categories.

Strategic Soft Power and Radical Feminine Daoism: A Political Reading of Female Vitality and Non-Action

Shanshan Gu — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article reinterprets the feminine principle in Daoism as a form of strategic soft power embedded in classical political thought. Rather than reducing femininity to biological fertility, Daoist philosophy—especially the Daodejing attributed to Laozi—conceives yin as a generative cosmological force that sustains relational order. The maternal metaphor signifies not merely reproduction but an ontological ground from which authority emerges as non-coercive influence. From a political perspective, Daoist femininity does not denote passivity; instead, it challenges rigid, masculinist models of sovereignty. Through wu wei (non-action), receptivity, and yielding, the feminine articulates a strategic mode of governance in which softness becomes efficacy and restraint becomes transformative leadership. Rather than marginalizing the feminine, Daoism situates it at the center of cosmic and social equilibrium. Radical feminine Daoism thus emerges as a political vision that reconceives authority through vitality, relationality, and balance.

Cultural Nationalism and Universal Altruism in India’s Foreign Policy

Sreshtha Chakraborty & Deeksha — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The unique contours of Indian nationalism, founded on humanism, appreciation for cultural diversity, and spiritual awareness, differ from the Western solipsistic concept of nationalism. India’s cultural nationalism, which is rooted in humanism, provides a critique of the Western solipsistic model of nationalism based on political sovereignty. The cultural nationalism that reflects India’s civilizational ethos of peace, harmony, and collective human well-being emphasises the reconciliation of self-development and global responsibility. This worldview informs India’s foreign policy by promoting engagement that transcends rigid territorial boundaries while preserving sovereignty. By examining how cultural nationalism shapes India’s foreign policy orientations, the study suggests that upholding the values of cultural nationalism in its foreign policy enhances its normative appeal, expands its global influence without abandoning strategic autonomy, and offers an alternative to the binary of national conservatism and cosmopolitanism.

Between Internal Competition and Post-Secular Engagement: South Korea’s Religious Field in Habermasian Perspective

Siyoon Lee — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article critically engages Jürgen Habermas’s concept of the post-secular society by situating it within the non-Western socio-religious context of South Korea and evaluating its analytical applicability beyond Europe. Drawing upon selected preliminary empirical cases, it advances a sociological account of how post-secular dynamics concretely emerge within Korea’s distinctive religious landscape. The study first examines the structural features of South Korea’s multi-religious configuration, demonstrating how these conditions simultaneously intensify interreligious competition and generate dialogical interfaces between religious communities and secular institutions. Within this framework, the dual processes described as “pressing” and “checking” compel religious actors to reformulate doctrinal convictions into rationally defensible and publicly accessible arguments. These dynamics are illustrated through two case studies—the Anti–Chunsung-san/Sapae-san Tunnel Movement and public controversies surrounding human embryonic stem cell research—revealing how structurally embedded competition can stimulate constructive participation in democratic public discourse.

Digital China: Creativity and Community in the Sinocybersphere

Jiaxi Hou & Qian Wu — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Digital China: Creativity and Community in the Sinocybersphere, edited by Jessica Imbach, is a multidisciplinary volume exploring cultural production, identity formation and community-making within contemporary Chinese digital spaces. The book investigates how online literature, poetry, influencer culture, and digital art reshape socio-political and socio-economic realities in China. Through qualitative approaches such as textual and media analysis, contributors demonstrate that China’s digital sphere—often described as tightly regulated—remains a dynamic arena of creativity, negotiation, and grassroots participation. The volume challenges simplistic assumptions about censorship and technological control, arguing instead for a nuanced understanding of the “Sinocybersphere” as a site where state structures, market forces, and cultural actors interact. By engaging themes such as danmei fiction, AI-generated poetry, rural influencer economies, and pandemic-era digital art practices, the book makes an important contribution to digital humanities, gender studies, and Chinese cultural studies. While questions remain regarding internet shutdowns and gender restrictions in other geopolitical contexts, this collection offers valuable insight into how digital creativity can foster community resilience and cultural innovation.

Modeling Visual Aesthetics, Emotion, and Artistic Style

Diefan Wang — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This review examines Modeling Visual Aesthetics, Emotion and Artistic Style, edited by James Z. Wang and Reginald B. Adams, highlighting its interdisciplinary engagement with psychology, computer vision, art history, and machine learning in exploring how computational systems interpret emotion, aesthetic judgment, and artistic style. The review outlines recent developments in emotion modeling, algorithmic bias detection, feminist critiques of computational frameworks and the digital analysis of fine art. It emphasizes the editors’ focus on ethical concerns, particularly gender and racial biases embedded in datasets, while also drawing attention to unresolved issues related to structural inequalities in cultural production and emerging surveillance technologies. Overall, the book is assessed as an important contribution to contemporary debates on the interaction between technology, emotion and artistic interpretation within machine learning research.