Stuart Young

Stuart Young serves as Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Bucknell University, specializing in East Asian religious traditions with a focus on Buddhist intersections with indigenous cultures and material practices.

Educational Background:

• Ph.D. from Princeton University

His research investigates the complex relationships between Buddhist traditions and local practices across historical East Asia. Core themes include the construction of religious identity through material culture, ethical tensions in Buddhist practice (particularly regarding sericulture), and the transmission of Indian Buddhist figures within Chinese religious frameworks. His work bridges religious studies, cultural history, and anthropology to explore how Buddhist communities negotiated cultural adaptation while maintaining doctrinal integrity.

Analysis of Young's publications reveals a sustained scholarly focus on medieval Chinese Buddhism's engagement with indigenous practices. His research consistently examines how Buddhist communities reconciled core doctrines like non-violence with culturally embedded economic activities such as silk production, often through creative narrative strategies involving figures like the Silkworm God Aśvaghoṣa. This work demonstrates his unique contribution to understanding religion as lived practice within specific material contexts.