معرفی
Heather Blair is an Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Indiana University Bloomington, affiliated with the College of Arts & Sciences. Her research explores intersections between religion and everyday life through diverse sources like scriptures, diaries, and picturebooks, with a focus on Japanese contexts.
- Ph.D., Harvard University (2008)
Her scholarship bridges two major areas: religious dynamics in Japan's Heian period (794–1185) and religious themes in modern Japanese picturebooks. She examines how visual culture, ritual practices, and ethical frameworks shape both historical and contemporary religious experiences.
Recent publications include analyses of emotion in secular literature, gendered soteriological narratives, and elite lay religiosity. She teaches courses on East Asian Buddhism, religion and popular culture, and Japanese religious traditions.
- Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Translation Grant (2022–23)
- Presidential Arts and Humanities Grant (2021–22)
- New Frontiers Grant (2015)
- Trustees Teaching Award (2014)
Blair's ongoing projects include a monograph titled Reverently I Pray on early medieval Japanese prayer and The Gods Make You Giggle exploring religion in secular picturebooks.
