Shayne Dahl, PhD

Working through final proofs #Japan

Happy to announce I’ll be an Assistant Professor of Anthropology with the University of Calgary from Aug. 1!

Anyone else watch “Hot Spot” ( #Japan #Netflix show)? Hilarious but very subtle!

Thnx for this! What does the Chinese gov see in Tibet that drives them toward long term settler colonial domination? Is Tibet rich in critical minerals & other resources that Chinese gov want?

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Very grateful to everyone for getting us to 22K followers - thanks, all!

We're proud to call Bluesky our new social media home. If you love what we do, share this to help us spread the word about the Japan you don't learn about in anime.

Thnx! I hope you find it interesting & mind-expanding… there’s a lot of surprises in this book — even for seasoned scholars

Pre-order here! #Japan

The Secret World of Shugendo: Sacred Mountains and the Search for Meaning in Post-Disaster Japan|Paperback In this compelling narrative of discovery set in Japan’s remote Dewa Sanzan mountain range, Shayne A. P. Dahl describes Shugendō, a secretive religious tradition that combines aspects of ...

Now available for pre-order! #japan

The Secret World of Shugendo: Sacred Mountains and the Search for Meaning in Post-Disaster Japan|Paperback In this compelling narrative of discovery set in Japan’s remote Dewa Sanzan mountain range, Shayne A. P. Dahl describes Shugendō, a secretive religious tradition that combines aspects of ...

Now available for pre-order! #japan

Thnx! Been a long time coming — 12 of hard work.

Significantly revised for readability — I hope to engage undergrads!

Coming Fall 2025 w/ @uncpress Kudos to @adriancox108 for the photograph. Excited to share this with the world #japan #visitjapan #japanstyle #japanlife #buddhism #mountains #mountain #cooljapan

Hi everyone - I’m seeking a new role beginning July 1, 2025. Budget cuts have led to the termination of my position & I would appreciate your support. If you hear of any opportunities, please send me a message or comment below

🌎 I’m open to roles in Canada, Europe, and the United States.

Early reviews for my book, “The Secret World of Shugendo: Sacred Mountains and the Search for Meaning in Post-Disaster Japan,” (UNC Press) are coming in. Written over the course of 12 years. Expected to hit the shelves Fall 2025.

I love my new stamp.

Happy Setsubun!

I’ve come to really enjoy the experience of exam invigilation. It’s a special kind of quiet in the class on exam day, a deep meditation students experience as they process everything you’ve taught them. Connecting the dots into constellations, forming a paradigm/worldview of their own.

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Final revisions are in. What a rush!

Is the hardest part about writing a book letting it go?

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The holidays will be spent writing…. but the glory will be great when the book arrives.

I’ve heard it be described as “applied statistics,” which makes sense. Not sure what you mean by AI waiting for Levi-Strauss…? Sounds like an idea for an article I’d read though.

That sounds lovely. I wish we had automatic re-heatable baths in N. America.

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After the marathon of teaching comes the “body shutdown”: The illnesses that waited, like snakes coiled in the grass while you taught all semester, timing their attack the moment you submit final grades.

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One of the final steps in editing a manuscript is to change all the “more recently” sections into a general past tense …

…because a decade or more may have passed since you first wrote that line.

Amor Fati

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I’m starting to really enjoy final exam season as an instructor. Some students have the most expressive faces when they are thinking!

Wrapped up my last class on Western Civ with a small reminder … You Are Here

image of a two-story Godzilla shaped Christmas tree covered in white lights in a Japanese mall

remember the reason for the season

T’is the season: