معرفی
Dr. Alexander Soucy is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Saint Mary's University, with a secondary appointment as a Research Associate at the Centre for the Study of Sport and Health. He holds a PhD in Anthropology from The Australian National University, an MA in History and Philosophy of Religion, and a BA in Religion from Concordia University. His research bridges religious anthropology and sustainable urban planning.
Primary research focuses on Vietnamese Buddhist practices, exploring how globalization and secularization reshape religious orthodoxies. His book The Buddha Side examines gendered participation in Vietnamese Buddhism, while Zen Conquests analyzes global Buddhist discourses through a case study of Hanoi's expanding Zen temples. Recent work addresses 're-enchantment' and the erosion of modernist secular narratives in Vietnam.
In parallel, Dr. Soucy applies anthropological methods to urban sustainability, co-founding the Halifax Bike Lab to study cycling infrastructure's impact on cultural and environmental outcomes. Collaborations include projects with the Ecology Action Centre and Halifax Cycling Coalition, emphasizing community science approaches like the Pedal Poll/sondo vélo study.
His research themes intersect across: Buddhist modernity, gender studies, transnational religious flows, urban mobility, and the interplay between religion and globalization. Teaching innovations include metacognitive pedagogy experiments in religious studies curricula.
