معرفی
David Mason is an Associate Professor of Media Studies and Director of Asian Studies at Rhodes College, exploring the intersection of theatre and religion through role-play theory and heightened experiential frameworks.
His educational credentials include a Ph.D. in Theatre Research and an M.A. in South Asian Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Mason's research investigates how theatre and religion generate peak experiences through role adoption, drawing from cognitive theory, narrative identity, and existentialism. His work spans South Asian performance traditions (particularly Krishna-centered râs lîlâ in Vrindavan), video game aesthetics, and philosophical analyses of play as a cosmic force transcending religious-theatrical boundaries.
His publications demonstrate evolving interdisciplinary rigor, moving from ethnographic studies of Indian performance to cognitive frameworks for audience experience, consistently challenging Aristotelian mimesis while integrating phenomenology and cross-cultural performance theory.
Scientific recognition includes:
- Howard Fellow (2014) from The George A. and Eliza Gardner Howard Foundation
- Fulbright-Hays Fellow (2001) from the United States Department of Education
Mason serves as editor of Ecumenica: Journal of Theatre and Performance and maintains the AESTHEISM blog for Patheos.com, with professional affiliations in the Association for Asian Performance and International Federation for Theatre Research. No student advising details appear in source materials.
As Director of Asian and Asian American Studies, he integrates Media Studies with religious performance scholarship, fostering programs that examine play's role in manifesting ideal realities through theatrical and devotional practices.
