Jolyon Thomas

Japan researchers, take note!

Here are the signs the Trump administration removed from Independence Park Following last year’s review, every sign has been removed from the President’s House site.

🎁 share.inquirer.com/LrtoM5

The slavery exhibits at the President’s House have been removed following Trump administration push President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered content at national parks that “inappropriately disparage” the U.S. to be reviewed and potentially removed.

“Just following orders.” share.inquirer.com/QpbN8X

I learned so much from reading this paper! It complicates a commonplace claim about unique zones of vulnerability to hazards while still offering an alternative vision of justice and care. Recommended for people thinking about environmental harms, environmental justice, and disability.

Very excited for your visit!

Starting the year off with an ab workout thanks to LOLing at this string of zingers. Just ruthless.

A Brief History of AI Psychosis - Boston Review A short story.

This story was both exactly what I thought it was based on the title and nothing like what I expected. Recommended! www.bostonreview.net/articles/a-b...

A pleasure to talk about our edited volume with Raditya for this recent podcast!

But humans are consistently inconsistent. People regularly act contrary to stated principles, and people often invent principles (including religious doctrines) after the fact to explain and excuse their own and others’ behavior. Buddhists are no different from anyone else in this regard. /end

More importantly, doctrine does not dictate behavior. The whole idea of religious people as hypocritical typically assumes that people (esp. clerics) should act consistently with whatever doctrines they purportedly espouse. 3/?

To be clear, it’s important to disrupt the notion of “Buddhism=nonviolence,” which ignores all sorts of evidence to the contrary. The author does that well. But the notion that ahimsa (nonviolence) is THE central doctrine of Buddhism is factually incorrect and distorting. 2/?

The dangerous rise of Buddhist extremism: ‘Attaining nirvana can wait’ The long read: Still largely viewed as a peaceful philosophy, across much of south-east Asia, the religion has been weaponised to serve nationalist goals

Not to pick on the author of this piece, who did important journalistic work with a range of relevant parties, but the assumption that doctrine is anterior to political stances is so flawed. 1/? www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...

this is mesmerizing

actuallychloehayes › millennials 20h serious question for the millennials... my older cousin said she used to 'burn' cds for her crush. like... with ? was that a ritual? did it work? you guys were literally practicing witchcraft just to get a text back. i'm scared of y'all. Q 2.9K

My favorite piece of content today.

YouTube video by Erykah Badu Erykah Badu - ...& On (LIVE) | Spotify Anniversary

I love that type of energy that's like, "Every now & then I just gotta pop back out & remind y'all I'm one of the baddest people walking."

This Erykah Badu did that.

Paradoxes of Education: A Symposium on Without a Prayer An Author's Response by Leslie Ribovich The Enduring Question of Purpose by Stephanie Mota Thurston It's All Connected by Jolyon Thomas Disciplining Histories by Michael Graziano Editor's Introduction by Charles McCrary

It was a privilege to contribute to this forum in Religious Studies Review on Leslie Ribovich's book _Without a Prayer: Religion and Race in New York City Public Schools_. Exciting conversations in the field of religion and education are afoot! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/17480922...

Buddhist Exceptionalism behind Bars Part of a special section on American Buddhism, Race, and Power. Many Buddhist programs in US prisons focus on reforming incarcerated people. Often the leaders of these programs celebrate their inc…

Link works for me, but try this: pwj.shin-ibs.edu/2025/7191

See Kirby's recent article, "Buddhist Exceptionalism behind Bars," here: www.shin-ibs.edu/documents/pw...

Buddhism Behind Bars Kirby Sokolow, a seventh-year PhD candidate in the Religious Studies Department, wants to challenge stereotypes around incarceration and religion.

Great write-up about Kirby Sokolow's research on Buddhist programs in US prisons. omnia.sas.upenn.edu/story/prison...

Too kind! If I could rewrite it I would fix so many things…

Poster for US-JET Alumni Association Event depicts headshots of 3 men (Yuri Lowenthal, Roland Kelts, Jolyon Thomas) before a stylized image of a torii gate floating in the clouds. The main colors are pinks, lavenders, and purples.

Public lecture on "The Religion of Anime" Coming up on Wednesday! Still time to register for those who are interested. usjetaa.wildapricot.org/event-6396204

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 was never a JET, but USJETAA is a really great organization. Definitely worth joining! They offer great programming, including things like career mentoring for recently returned JETS, etc.

Promotion flyer for US JET Alumni Association event, "The Religion of Anime," featuring headshots of 3 men (Yuri Lowenthal, Roland Kelts, and Jolyon Thomas) in bottom right. A torii gate stands before a rising sun amidst the clouds in the background in shades of pink and lavender. QR code on the flyer matches the link in the post. The event is on 12 November at 7:00 PM ET via Zoom.

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.)

I always ignore requests for things like syllabi from strangers because they seem to be requests to steal IP. Articles I do case-by-case.

This happens to me a lot. Apparently standards for AP courses require HS students to ask profs to mentor their projects. Their HS teachers can’t do anything about the requirements, so we get deluged with these requests. I ignore if they are rude (often) or politely decline if they come correct.

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.