Paper short abstract:

This paper seeks to explore the transnational and global aspects of anti-Muslim Buddhist nationalism in Buddhist majority states in Asia, arguing that Buddhist Islamophobia has to be understood as a global as well as a globalizing phenomenon.

Paper long abstract:

In the wake of anti-Muslim violence in Buddhist majority states in Asia, increased scholarly attention is paid to anti-Muslim Buddhist nationalism. These studies have paid particular attention to historical legacies within the confines of state borders, be they colonial or post-colonial. However, the concerns raised in Buddhist Islamophobia are globally informed. They are also shared across national borders through social media, but also through mobilization and migration. In this paper I seek to explore the transnational and global aspects of anti-Muslim Buddhist nationalism even further, arguing that it needs to be understood as a constituent element of global Islamophobia(s), and moreover, that it cannot be reduced to being the result of Western export of Islamophobia globally. Rather, Buddhist Islamophobia has to be understood as a global as well as a globalizing phenomenon, contributing in its own right to global Islamophobia(s).