Bryan J. Cuevas

Bryan J. Cuevas is the John F. Priest Professor of Religion at Florida State University’s Department of Religion, part of the College of Arts and Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia and has held visiting appointments at École Pratique des Hautes Études (Paris), UC Berkeley, Princeton, and Emory University. His research focuses on Tibetan history, Buddhist magic and sorcery, death narratives, and the politics of ritual power in premodern Tibetan societies. He has been supported by major grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, NEH, and AIIS.

Research interests include Tibetan biographical literature, Buddhist ritual practices, and the intersection of religion and power. Cuevas is currently accepting graduate students for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies research. His publications include books such as The Hidden History of the Tibetan Book of the Dead and articles analyzing ritual texts, magical warfare, and historical periodization.

Scientific awards include prestigious fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and NEH. His work bridges textual analysis with historical and anthropological approaches, emphasizing the role of ritual in Tibetan sociopolitical structures. Cuevas advises graduate students and has contributed to editorial projects like The Buddhist Dead: Practices, Discourses, Representations.