معرفی
Hillary K. Crane serves as Associate Professor of Anthropology at Linfield University and holds dual coordination roles for the Linguistics and Asian Studies programs. Based in Walker Hall 218, she has been a faculty member since 2007 with research focusing on intersections of religion and medicine, gender dynamics among Taiwanese Buddhist nuns, and celiac disease experiences in the United States.
Her research interests span cultural anthropology, medical anthropology, linguistics, anthropology of the body, and gender/sexuality studies with East Asian focus. Crane employs innovative student-faculty collaborative research models, particularly for her celiac disease project where she hires students annually for summer research. Her scholarly work reveals consistent engagement with Buddhist monastic communities in Taiwan, examining gender transformation, religious conversion pressures, and emotional regulation within spiritual contexts.
Crane's publications demonstrate expertise in religious ethnography methodology, particularly regarding researcher objectivity in missionary-adjacent communities. Her co-edited volume Missionary Impositions addresses conversion challenges in fieldwork. The publication record shows strong continuity in Taiwanese Buddhist studies since her doctoral work, alongside emerging focus on chronic illness anthropology through celiac disease research.
Her scientific contributions include numerous student-faculty collaborative research reports and peer-reviewed articles analyzing Buddhist monasticism, gender roles, and religious discourse. Crane's work appears across disciplines including Anthropology, Religious Studies, Women's Studies, and Medical Humanities, reflecting her interdisciplinary approach.
As an educator, Crane teaches courses in cultural anthropology, linguistics, medical anthropology, and East Asian studies. She maintains active research mentorship through summer collaborative projects, particularly in celiac disease studies where she involves students in data collection and analysis. Her academic trajectory shows sustained commitment to both traditional anthropological fieldwork in Taiwan and contemporary health-focused research in the United States.
