About
Lars E Fogelin is an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona specializing in the archaeology of Buddhism in South Asia. His research extends to the broader archaeology of religion, architectural studies, and the application of philosophy of science to archaeological reasoning, establishing him as a leading scholar in theoretical and material approaches to religious practice.
Dr. Fogelin's work centers on material manifestations of Buddhist practice in early historic South Asia, particularly examining stupa architecture, monastic spatial organization, and ritual landscapes. He investigates how religious communities navigated social contradictions through spatial strategies and how material transformations reflected doctrinal shifts, such as the emergence of Mahayana Buddhism. His theoretical contributions emphasize inference to the best explanation and critical deconstruction of essentialist approaches in religious archaeology.
His publication trajectory reveals consistent thematic focus across 20 years, with recurring exploration of Buddhist material culture, ritual practices, and methodological innovation. Early works established foundations in South Asian Buddhist archaeology, while later publications expanded into philosophical frameworks for interpreting religion. Key patterns include integration of ethnographic analogy with archaeological data, persistent attention to architectural evidence, and theoretical rigor in bridging anthropology, religious studies, and archaeological practice.
