Chiara Ghidini

Chiara Ghidini is an Associate Professor at the Department of Asia, Africa and Mediterranean at the University of Naples 'L'Orientale', where she teaches courses on Religions and Philosophies of East Asia, History of Religions and Ideas in East Asia, and Digital East Asia. Her academic focus centers on East Asian religious traditions, particularly Japanese intellectual history, Buddhist studies, and cross-cultural exchanges between East Asia and the Mediterranean.

Dr. Ghidini's research interests span East Asian religions and philosophies, Japanese intellectual history, Buddhist studies, cultural exchange between East and Mediterranean worlds, utopian thought in East Asia, premodern Japanese rituals, and comparative religious studies. Her work demonstrates how religious traditions have shaped political structures, social relations, and cultural productions across historical contexts in East Asia.

Her publication record shows a strong focus on Japanese religious thought, particularly examining how ideas of ideal societies have influenced governance models, community relations, and cultural transformations. Recent publications address topics ranging from Buddhist parody in Edo period Japan to cross-cultural philosophical exchanges between Greece and Japan. Her 2025 book 'Antichi e Uguali in dialogo' explores Mediterranean-Japanese intellectual dialogue through the works of Murakawa Kentarō and Toda Misato.

Dr. Ghidini serves on multiple editorial boards including as Director of 'FORMA APERTA' (2019-present), and as Scientific Committee member for 'Il mondo in tavola', 'CIVILTÀ E RELIGIONI', 'HOMO EDENS', and 'COLLANA DI STUDI GIAPPONESI'. She has held significant institutional roles as the liaison for the University's agreements with Sophia University in Tokyo (2018-present) and the University of Manchester (2017-2020).

She has supervised numerous doctoral students including Campa Marco, De Carlo Marianna, and Prosdocimo Luca at her home institution, as well as external doctoral candidates such as Farinaccia Gloria at Sapienza University of Rome and Battipaglia Sabrina at Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona. Her teaching responsibilities include undergraduate and graduate courses on East Asian religions, philosophies, and digital humanities approaches to Asian studies.