Stephan Licha

Stephan Licha is an Assistant Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on Japanese Buddhism, particularly the intersections between Zen, Esoteric Buddhism, and the intellectual history of Buddhist studies in Japan. He holds a PhD and is affiliated with Swift Hall, 300D.

His academic work examines medieval Japanese religious practices, the construction of Buddhist doctrines during modernization, and the cross-cultural exchange in Buddhist scholarship between Japan and Europe before 1900. Key themes include ritual transmission, textual interpretation, and the conceptualization of religious experience in historical context.

Licha’s publications analyze topics such as kōan practices in Sōtō Zen, the role of precepts in Tendai traditions, and the historiography of Buddhist modernism. His research bridges religious studies with historical analysis, offering critical perspectives on how Buddhist ideas were shaped and transmitted across time and space.