About
Barbara R. Ambros serves as Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She specializes in East Asian Religions with particular expertise in Japanese religious traditions. Her academic foundation includes a PhD in East Asian Civilization and Languages from Harvard University (2002), an MA in Regional Studies East Asia from Harvard University (1995), and an MA in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University (1993).
Her research focuses on gender studies within religious contexts, human-animal relationships in religion, and the significance of place and space in religious practice. She teaches diverse courses including RELI 073 (From Dragons and Foxes to Godzilla and Pokemon: Animals in Japanese Myth, Folklore, and Religion), RELI 184 (East Asian Religions), and RELI 586 (Women, Sexuality, and Gender in Japanese Religions).
Dr. Ambros has served in significant leadership roles including co-chair of the Animals and Religion Group of the American Academy of Religion (2014-2021) and co-chair of the Japanese Religions Group (2008-2014). Her scholarly work appears in journals such as the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, Religions, and Monumenta Nipponica, with notable books including Women in Japanese Religions (2015) and Bones of Contention: Animals and Religion in Contemporary Japan (2012).
- American Council of Learned Societies fellowship
- National Humanities Center fellowship
- UNC's Institute of Arts and Humanities fellowship
- Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science fellowship
- Japanese Ministry of Education fellowship
- German Academic Exchange Service fellowship
Her academic trajectory includes teaching positions at Columbia University and International Christian University in Tokyo. She participated in a National Gallery of Art symposium in June 2019 titled 'The Role and Representation of Animals in Japanese Art and Culture,' demonstrating her engagement with broader cultural institutions beyond academia.
