Soka Gakkai Families in the UK: Observations from a Fieldwork Study

Abstract

This paper examines accounts of the experience of young people and their parents in families associated with Sōka Gakkai International in the United Kingdom. It disseminates data from a qualitative fieldwork study of Sōka Gakkai young people and their parents and considers what we can learn from this study about ways in which the practice is being passed from one generation to the next. In order to do this it makes reference to theories that help to illuminate the experiences of Sōka Gakkai children and suggest ways in which these young people might mirror young people associated with Christian families in the UK. SGI accommodates its young, but it requires effortful practice on their part if they are to become members in their own right.