Duncan Ryuken Williams

Duncan Ryuken Williams is the Alton M. Brooks Professor of Religion, American Studies and Ethnicity, and East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Southern California. He currently serves as Director of the USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture. Previously, he held positions at the University of California, Berkeley and Irvine. Born in Tokyo to a Japanese mother and British father, Williams specializes in Japanese and Japanese American religious history, with focuses on Buddhism’s role in modernization, diaspora communities, and issues of race and identity. His research includes groundbreaking work on Japanese American incarceration during WWII and mixed-race Japanese society.

Education: Ph.D. in Religion (Harvard University, 2000), M.Div. in Buddhist Studies (Harvard Divinity School, 1993), B.A. in Religious Studies (Reed College, 1991).

Research interests span Buddhism and environmental ethics, Japanese American wartime incarceration, and critical mixed-race studies. His notable publications include American Sutra (2019), Hapa Japan series (2017), and The Other Side of Zen (2004). Awards include a commendation from the Japanese Government for strengthening U.S.-Japan relations (2010-2011). He leads interdisciplinary initiatives at USC’s East Asian Studies Center and Religion and Civic Culture programs.