First brought to the United States in the nineteenth century by Chinese and Japanese immigrants, Buddhism has become a major feature of the North American religious, cultural, and social landscape. Nearly every form of Asian Buddhism has some presence in North America in addition to a variety of Buddhist "convert" communities, hybrid communities, and "secular" Buddhist networks. Buddhist-derived practices such as mindfulness meditation have been deployed in health care and educational settings, the military, and the business sector.

The Oxford Handbook of American Buddhism guides readers through the rich terrain of American Buddhism, illuminating the diversity of Buddhist communities and identities, exploring the innovations that have emerged from the cross-fertilization of Buddhism and American culture, and extending the theoretical and methodological boundaries that have shaped the study of American Buddhism. The Handbook is organized into four parts: Foundations, Traditions, Practices, and Frames. The essays in this volume both build upon and go beyond previous scholarship, reexamining foundational topics while recovering neglected histories, centering marginalized identities, and analyzing the intersections between Buddhist practice and scholarship.

The Oxford Handbook of American Buddhism, Ann Gleig and Scott A. Mitchell (Editors), Oxford University Press, Hardcover, 560 pages, $178.00

Ann Gleig is Associate Professor of Religion and Cultural Studies at the University of Central Florida. She is author of American Dharma: Buddhism Beyond Modernity. She serves as an editor at the Journal of Global Buddhism.

Scott A. Mitchell is Dean of Students and Faculty Affairs and Yoshitaka Tamai Professorial Chair at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley. He is the author of The Making of American Buddhism and Buddhism in America: Global Religion, Local Contexts.