Biographical note

Robert Ellwood is Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Religion at the University of Southern Illinois. Born in Normal, Illinois, he received his B.A. from the University of Colorado, an M.Div. from Yale Divinity School, and a Ph.D. in History of Religion from the University of Chicago Divinity School, at which he was named Alumnus of the Year in 2009. He taught Eastern religions at U.S.C. 1967-1997, was a Fulbright research professor in New Zealand in 1988, and Goodwin-Philpott Eminent Scholar in Religion at Auburn University, Alabama, 1998-99. His research has focused on Japanese religion, new religious movements in the U.S. and elsewhere, mythology, and recent American religious history. His numerous publications include Religious and Spiritual Groups in Modern America, Mysticism and Religion, The Sixties Spiritual Awakening, The Politics of Myth, and Tales of Darkness: The Mythology of Evil, among other works. He now lives in Ojai, California.