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Jacob M. Baum serves as the Buena Vista Foundation Associate Professor in the Department of History at Texas Tech University, specializing in later medieval and early modern European history with particular focus on the German-speaking world from 1400-1800. His research explores the intersections of ideas, culture, and daily life through the lens of the human body, spanning sensory studies, disability studies, and medical history. Dr. Baum challenges traditional narratives by examining how bodily experiences shaped historical developments during pivotal periods including the Protestant Reformation and early European colonial expansion, emphasizing how sensory knowledge emerged from practical problems confronted in daily life rather than purely intellectual frameworks. Dr. Baum's scholarly contributions include significant publications such as Reformation of the Senses (2019) and the co-edited volume Embodiment, Expertise and Ethics in Early Modern Europe: Entangling the Senses (2020), with his work increasingly focusing on disability history, particularly deafness in sixteenth-century Germany. His research demonstrates consistent methodological innovation, moving from sensory history to disability studies while maintaining focus on how bodily differences influenced social, cultural, and religious transformations. Hans Rosenberg Article Prize (2015) for 'From Incense to Idolatry: The Reformation of Olfaction in Late Medieval German Ritual' His research has received substantial support from prestigious organizations including the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Humanities Center, the Mellon Foundation, and the Leibniz Institute for European History. At Texas Tech, Dr. Baum teaches undergraduate courses in European history, medical history, and disability history, as well as graduate courses in research methodology and historiography, actively mentoring students interested in his specialized chronological and thematic areas.

• Medieval History
• Early Modern European History
• German History
• +4 more

Michele Matteini serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Art History at New York University's College of Arts and Science, specializing in Late Imperial Chinese painting and material culture (ca. 1400-1800) with focus on Qing dynasty antiquarianism, collecting practices, and eighteenth-century transnational artistic exchanges. His academic credentials include: Ph.D. (2012) in History of Art from the Institute of Fine Arts M.A. (2004) in History of Art from New York University B.A. (2000) summa cum laude from the University of Venice, Ca’ Foscari Research interests encompass Late Imperial Chinese painting, antiquarianism, collecting culture, Qing history, urban culture, inter-Asian artistic exchanges, eighteenth-century globalism, craft traditions, embodied knowledge, and art historical methodology. His interdisciplinary approach bridges anthropology, religious studies, and art history to examine material culture across East Asia. Recent publications reveal consistent thematic focus on eighteenth-century material practices, analyzing antiquarian objects, historical figure cults, and cross-cultural artistic production. Works integrate art historical analysis with anthropological perspectives on topics like rock collecting, filial piety, and sacred materiality, demonstrating how objects functioned within social and global contexts. His scholarly recognition includes: The Andrew Mellon Foundation Fellowship for Assistant Professors, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (2013-2014) Ittleson Fellowship, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art (2007-2009) Panofsky Distinguished Fellowship, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University (2002-2007) Matteini's research has been supported by major fellowships from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and National Gallery of Art. While current advising activities and grant projects beyond these fellowships are not detailed in available sources, his extensive publication record indicates sustained scholarly productivity focused on East Asian material culture.

• Late Imperial Chinese painting and material culture
• antiquarianism and collecting culture
• Qing history
• +6 more

Robert Sharf is the D.H. Chen Distinguished Professor of Buddhist Studies in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of California, Berkeley . He also serves as Chair of the Numata Center for Buddhist Studies and Head Graduate Advisor for the Group in Buddhist Studies . With a PhD in Buddhist Studies from the University of Michigan (1995), he previously taught at McMaster University (1989-1995) and the University of Michigan (1995-2003). Research Interests: Medieval Chinese Buddhism (especially Chan) Japanese Buddhism Buddhist Art and Archaeology Ritual Studies Buddhist Modernism Philosophical Paradoxes Methodology in Religious Studies Critical Buddhist Discourse Publications & Collaborations: Author of Coming to Terms with Chinese Buddhism: A Reading of the Treasure Store Treatise (2002) Co-editor of Living Images: Japanese Buddhist Icons in Context (2001) Co-author of What Can’t Be Said: Contradiction and Paradox in East Asian Thought (2021) Co-author of How to Lose Yourself: An Ancient Guide to Letting Go (2025) Editor of Chinese translations of his works: Xiafu Chanxue zixuan ji and Xiafu Mijiao Yanjiu zixuan ji (2022) Academic Leadership: Director of the Group in Buddhist Studies Director of Religious Studies Chair of the Center for Buddhist Studies

• Medieval Chinese Buddhism
• Chan Buddhism
• Japanese Buddhism
• +5 more

Yiqun Zhou serves as Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures and, by courtesy, of Classics at Stanford University. Holding dual appointments since 2013, Zhou is actively engaged in teaching and research within Stanford's Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures and the Department of Classics, with program affiliations at the Center for East Asian Studies. Research interests span Chinese and comparative women's history, early Chinese literature, Ming-Qing fiction, China-Greece comparative studies, and the reception of classical antiquity in modern China. Zhou's scholarly approach emphasizes cross-cultural analysis between ancient Chinese and Greek civilizations, particularly examining gender relations, literary traditions, and the modern Chinese reception of classical antiquity. Zhou's publications demonstrate consistent scholarly output with recent works appearing in 2024, focusing on imperial performance, gender dynamics, and intellectual history. The research trajectory reveals a sustained engagement with comparative methodologies, particularly examining intersections between Chinese and Greco-Roman civilizations across historical periods. Zhou actively mentors graduate students through multiple roles including Doctoral Dissertation Advisor for Xiaoyi Huang and Bingxiao Liu, Master's Program Advisor for Helen Bovi and Yuan Wei, and Doctoral Program advisor for ZiFan Yang. Teaching responsibilities include courses such as Beginning Classical Chinese, Heroes and Heroism (co-listed with Classics), Proseminar in East Asian Humanities, and The Use of Classical Antiquity in Modern China. Academic background includes a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Chicago (2004). Zhou maintains an active research agenda with publications spanning journal articles and book chapters, primarily focusing on comparative approaches to Chinese literature and history with Greco-Roman antiquity.

• Chinese and comparative women's history
• Early Chinese literature
• Ming-Qing fiction
• +2 more

Kevin Buckelew is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Northwestern University specializing in Chinese Buddhism, with particular expertise in Chan (Zen) traditions and Buddhist-Daoist interactions. He earned his B.A. in Liberal Arts from Sarah Lawrence College and his Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Cultures from Columbia University. Affiliation: Northwestern University, Religious Studies Department Education: B.A. (Sarah Lawrence College), Ph.D. (Columbia University) His research explores Chan Buddhist claims to authority equivalent to the historical Buddha, focusing on embodiment, gender, and institutional practices during the Song dynasty. He also investigates Buddhist-Daoist intellectual exchanges, particularly regarding theories of liberation and bodily practices. Recent publications include Discerning Buddhas: Authority, Agency, and Masculinity in Chan Buddhism (2025) and co-edited volume Buddhist Masculinities (2023). His work appears in top journals like Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies and T’oung Pao , supported by Fulbright and Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai grants. Scientific Awards: Fulbright Program Grant Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai Grant Buckelew's scholarship combines textual analysis, historical methodology, and thematic explorations of moral responsibility and gender construction in premodern Chinese religious contexts.

• Chinese Buddhism
• Chan (Zen) Buddhism
• Buddhism and Daoism
• +7 more

Mariann Vaczi is an Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, affiliated with the Center for Basque Studies and serving as Director of Graduate Studies. Her research explores the intersection of sport, physical culture, and national identity through anthropological frameworks. Ph.D., Basque Studies and Anthropology, University of Nevada, Reno (2013) M.A., English and American Studies, ELTE University, Budapest (2006) M.A., Sociology and Social Anthropology, Central European University, Budapest (2005) B.A., Anthropology, Saint Vincent College (2004) Her academic focus examines the moving body as a site of political struggle, particularly in sub-national contexts like Catalonia and the Basque Country. Key areas include cultural performance in sports, ethnonationalist movements, and the symbolic dimensions of soccer fandom. Recent publications analyze global sport dynamics, traditional physical practices (castells, pelota), and the role of sport in post-dictatorship societies. Her 2023 monograph Catalonia’s Human Towers investigates how bodily labor becomes national symbolism. Vaczi’s work bridges anthropological theory with empirical studies of sport as cultural resistance, emphasizing gender, identity, and the politics of heritage in European regional contexts. She teaches courses on Basque culture and global sport-society relationships.

• Anthropology of Sport
• Physical Culture
• Cultural Politics
• +6 more

Yuhang Li is an Associate Professor of Chinese Art at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Department of Art History. She serves as Affiliate of the Religious Studies Program, Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, and Center for East Asian Studies, and holds the role of Faculty Director of Material Culture at the Center for Design and Material Culture. Her education includes a B.A. from Central Academy of Fine Arts (Beijing, 1991), M.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2001), and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (2011). Her research focuses on gender and material practice in late imperial China, particularly Buddhist women’s artistic devotions, Chinese textiles and costume, opera’s role in visual culture, and Qing court art. Her book Becoming Guanyin (2020) won major academic awards. She co-edited Performing Images: Opera in Chinese Visual Culture (2014) and contributed to special issues on Empress Dowager Cixi. Teaching includes courses on Asian art surveys, Chinese art history, material culture, and gender studies. Her work bridges art history with religious studies, exploring how material practices reflect gendered identities and religious belief. Awards include the 2021 Religion and the Arts Book Award and the 2024 Geiss-Hsu Book Prize. Her research frequently examines the intersection of ephemeral mediums (e.g., paper, hair embroidery) with enduring cultural and religious themes.

• Chinese Art
• Gender Studies
• Buddhist Art
• +5 more

Dr. Richard J. Callahan, Jr. is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Gonzaga University, where he teaches courses including RELI 193 Sacred Waters (FYS), RELI 254 American Christianities, RELI 356 Native American Religions, RELI 359 Religion and Globalization, RELI 399 Methodology, and RELI 432 Commercial Religion (CIS). Dr. Callahan's educational background includes: Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara M.A. in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara M.A. in Folklore and Folklife from Western Kentucky University B.A. in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Connecticut College Dr. Callahan's research focuses on the intersections of religion with cultures of work, natural resource extraction, and globalization. His work examines how religious practices engage with material conditions and economic structures, as evidenced in his studies of the Kentucky coal fields and the American whaling industry. He approaches religion as a dynamic, contextualized practice that is deeply intertwined with class formations and material realities, challenging simplistic deprivation theories by demonstrating how religious traditions provide resources for identity, resistance, and adaptation within changing economic landscapes. His methodology emphasizes the 'work' of religion—how religious practices are produced and reworked by people in specific contexts to make meaning of their lived experiences. His recent publications reveal a consistent focus on material religion within industrial contexts, particularly examining religious dimensions of natural resource extraction industries. His scholarship traces how religious meanings and practices are embedded in commodity chains, spatial arrangements, and bodily experiences, demonstrating religion's active role in shaping and being shaped by economic structures. This work moves beyond traditional theological analyses to examine religion as lived practice within specific economic and material conditions. Dr. Callahan's scholarly work has received support from prestigious institutions including: National Endowment for the Humanities Indiana University's Center for Religion and the Human Yale University's Center for the Study of Material and Visual Cultures of Religion Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Religion and Theology Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University Indianapolis Missouri Humanities Council University of Missouri Gonzaga University's Digital Humanities Initiative While specific information about student advising is not provided in available materials, Dr. Callahan's research trajectory suggests he mentors students working at the intersections of religion, labor, material culture, and American religious history. His methodological approach emphasizes contextualized, embodied understandings of religion that reveal its complex entanglements with economic structures and class formations, providing students with frameworks to analyze religion as active cultural production rather than merely compensatory or otherworldly phenomena.

• Religion and Work
• Religion and Natural Resource Extraction
• Religion and Globalization
• +5 more

Jimmy Yu is the Sheng Yen Associate Professor of Chinese Buddhism and Religion at Florida State University's Department of Religion (part of the College of Arts and Sciences). He holds a Ph.D. in Asian Religions from Princeton University (2008). His research focuses on Chinese Buddhist history (1100–1800), Chan/Zen studies, and bodily rituals in East Asian religions. He teaches courses on Chinese and Japanese religious traditions, including Buddhism, Daoism, and Shintō. Yu serves as Editor of the Journal of Chinese Buddhist Studies and Series Editor for the Sheng Yen Series in Chinese Buddhist Studies (Columbia University Press). He advises the Chung-Hwa Institute's Buddhist Studies fellowships for graduate students. His publications include Sanctity and Self-Inflicted Violence in Chinese Religions (1500–1700) (Oxford UP) and Reimagining Chan Buddhism (Routledge). He has presented globally at venues like the American Academy of Religion and Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies. Education: Princeton University (Ph.D. 2008), University of Kansas (MA 2002) Editorial Roles: Journal of Chinese Buddhist Studies, Journal of Religion and Violence Key Interests: Chan/Zen lineage formation, religious violence, and embodied religious practices Yu oversees graduate studies in East Asian Buddhist Studies and mentors students through the Dharma Drum tradition. His work bridges historical scholarship with contemporary Buddhist praxis, emphasizing Chan's doctrinal and ritual innovations.

• Chinese Buddhist History (1100–1800)
• Chan/Zen Studies
• Bodily Rituals
• +4 more

Naomi A. Weiss is a Professor of Classics at Harvard University, affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. She joined Harvard in 2014 after completing a BA and MSt at the University of Oxford and a PhD in Classics at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses on ancient Greek literature, drama, and performance culture, with a particular emphasis on music, gender, and reception studies. She is on leave for the fall 2025 semester. Her work bridges interdisciplinary approaches to classical texts, integrating analysis of tragedy, comedy, and satyr plays with studies of ancient music, dance, and cultural memory. Notable publications include The Music of Tragedy (2018), Music and Memory in the Ancient Greek and Roman Worlds (2021), and Seeing Theater: The Phenomenology of Classical Greek Drama (2023). She collaborates actively with scholars like Lauren Curtis and Sarah Olsen on projects such as a new commentary on Euripides' Orestes . Weiss’s research explores intersections of genre theory, performance phenomenology, and modern adaptations of classical drama. Her current project examines how Greek tragedy interrogates the spectator’s sensory experience through spatial and bodily dynamics in fifth-century drama.

• Classical Greek Literature
• Ancient Greek Drama (Tragedy, Comedy, Satyr Play)
• Ancient Greek Music and Performance Culture
• +3 more

Andrew Scherer is the Pierre and Patricia Bikai Professor of Anthropology and Archaeology at Brown University, where he also serves as Director of the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World. His work focuses on Mesoamerican (particularly Maya) archaeology, integrating bioarchaeology, landscape analysis, and political studies to examine Classic Maya polities along the Usumacinta River. Co-directs interdisciplinary projects in Mexico/Guatemala (Lacanja Tzeltal, Piedras Negras, Tikal, El Zotz, Yaxha) Research themes: mortuary archaeology, ritual practice, warfare, political organization, and diet/subsistence Selected Publications : As the Gods Kill: Morality and Social Violence among the Precolonial Maya (2025), Mortuary Landscapes of the Classic Maya (2015), and co-edited volumes including Substance of the Ancient Maya (2024) and Embattled Bodies, Embattled Places (2014). Research Funding : Multiple NSF grants (2003-2015) National Geographic Society support (2009) Wenner-Gren and Heinz Trust grants Academic Affiliations : Society for American Archaeology, Dental Anthropology Association, Dumbarton Oaks (as Pre-Columbian Fellow 2008-2009) Teaching : Courses on human evolution, bioarchaeology, Maya violence studies, and archaeological principles at Brown University.

• Mesoamerican Archaeology
• Maya Civilization
• Bioarchaeology
• +7 more

Brenda Flanagan, the Edward M. Armfield Sr. Professor of English at Davidson College, is an award-winning author and cultural ambassador with a profound impact on African American and Caribbean literature. She teaches courses in creative writing, Caribbean literature, and African American literature while completing a memoir about her formative year with Nina Simone. Education: Ph.D., University of Michigan M.A., University of Michigan B.A., University of Michigan Flanagan's research explores intersections of Caribbean and African American identities, civil rights history, and surrealist art. Her work as a U.S. cultural ambassador spans 20+ countries, including historic visits to Libya and Central Asia. She co-founded Davidson's Africana Studies curriculum and received multiple NEH Fellowships. Recent publications include analyses of African American poetry and collaborations on Czech surrealist dissent. Awards highlight her teaching excellence (Hunter-Hamilton Love of Teaching Award) and literary achievements (Hopwood Awards, Michener Fellowship). Her memoir-in-progress examines Nina Simone's enduring influence on her academic and creative trajectory.

• African American Literature
• Caribbean Literature
• Creative Writing
• +4 more

Barbara A. Holdrege is a Professor and Chair of the South Asian Studies Committee at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), where she serves in the Department of Religious Studies. Her work focuses on comparative religious studies, particularly South Asian and Jewish traditions, with an emphasis on embodiment, sacred space, and textual analysis. She holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University. Her research interrogates analytical categories like the body, scripture, and ritual, advocating for a critical approach to dismantle Eurocentric paradigms. Key projects include Veda and Torah (1996) and Hindus, Jews, and the Politics of Comparison (2024), which explore cross-cultural comparisons. She has directed the Center for the Analysis of Sacred Space (CASS), integrating GIS technology into religious studies to map sacred sites like Vraja-Maṇḍala. Holdrege’s publications span embodiment in Hindu traditions, such as Bhakti and Embodiment (2015), and sacred space studies like her geospatial volume on Vraja. Her articles address topics like Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava theology, foodways in religious traditions, and postcolonial theory. She teaches courses on South Asian religions, comparative methods, and Sanskrit religious literature.

• Comparative Religion
• South Asian Traditions
• Jewish Traditions
• +4 more

Eric M Greene is a faculty member in the Department of Religious Studies at Yale University, specializing in Chinese Buddhist studies with a particular focus on meditation practices, textual history, and the cultural transmission of Buddhism from India to China during the early medieval period (200-600 CE). Dr. Greene's research reveals how early Chinese Buddhists approached meditation primarily as a means of gaining visionary experiences that were interpreted as indicators of spiritual purity and progress toward liberation. His work demonstrates that these early meditation practices were fundamentally integrated with repentance rituals (chanhui) and divination practices, forming a distinctive religious culture that differed significantly from later Chan (Zen) traditions. Through meticulous analysis of meditation manuals, including newly discovered Dunhuang manuscripts, he reconstructs how Buddhist contemplative practices were transmitted from India and Central Asia to China and adapted within the Chinese religious context. His scholarship spans multiple methodological approaches, combining textual criticism, historical analysis, and phenomenological examination of meditation experiences. A consistent theme in his work is the examination of how early Chinese Buddhists interpreted their visionary experiences and the authority they ascribed to these experiences within their religious framework. His research challenges established narratives about the development of Chinese Buddhism by utilizing newly discovered manuscript evidence that provides fresh perspectives on textual transmission, doctrinal development, and religious practice. Dr. Greene has made significant contributions through his two major monographs published by the University of Hawaii Press: The Secrets of Buddhist Meditation (2021) and Chan Before Chan (2021), which provide comprehensive studies of early Chinese meditation texts along with English translations. His publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly productivity across multiple prestigious journals in Buddhist studies, religious history, and Asian studies, establishing him as a leading scholar in the field of early Chinese Buddhist meditation history.

• Buddhist Studies
• Chinese Buddhism
• Buddhist Meditation
• +4 more

Dr. Joshua T. Schnell is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh’s Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on the bioarchaeology of Mesoamerica, particularly the ancient Maya, emphasizing health, medicine, body practices, and funerary rituals. He conducts fieldwork in Chiapas, Mexico, as Co-Director of the Proyecto Arqueológico Bajo Lacantun (PABL), investigating the Lakamtuun kingdom. His interdisciplinary work integrates ethnohistoric, archaeological, and biomolecular methods to explore how past populations interacted with their bodies and environments. Education: PhD in Anthropology, Brown University MA in Anthropology, Brown University BS and BA in Anthropology and Religious Studies, Michigan State University Research Interests: Dr. Schnell’s work examines the intersection of health, diet, and disease in the Maya world, with a focus on dental care, oral hygiene, and therapeutic practices. He employs microscopy, experimental archaeology, and archival research to analyze skeletal remains and material culture. His projects highlight how cultural values shaped bodily maintenance and postmortem treatment. Articles Trends: His publications address dental interventions, medicinal plant use, and warfare chronology in Maya sites. Recent work emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to reconstruct health practices and social structures through skeletal and archaeological evidence. Lab & Fieldwork: Dr. Schnell runs a lab specializing in experimental archaeology and microscopy, welcoming student involvement. His field projects span Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras, focusing on both urban centers and smaller sites to understand regional health and social dynamics.

• Bioarchaeology
• Mesoamerican Studies
• Maya Civilization
• +7 more