معرفی
Sara A. Swenson is an Assistant Professor of Religion at Dartmouth College, with affiliations in Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages. Her research focuses on Buddhism in Vietnam, gender/sexuality, affect theory, and ethnography. She holds a Ph.D. from Syracuse University, an M.A. from Iliff School of Theology, and a B.A. from the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
Swenson's work examines religious humanitarianism, particularly Buddhist volunteerism in urban Vietnam. She investigates how grassroots charities shape social service through informal networks, exploring themes like karma's material impacts, ethics of food charity, and gendered religious practices. Her research employs ethnographic methods, including fieldwork in Ho Chi Minh City.
Key publications include studies on karma's role in Buddhist charities, the legacies of Vietnamese Buddhist leaders, and the intersection of affect theory with religious ethics. Her writing combines theoretical frameworks (e.g., Durkheimian social facts) with empirical analysis of volunteer groups.
Teaching focuses include courses on Southeast Asian religions, Vietnamese religious practices, and the ethics of compassion. Swenson's work highlights pluralistic Buddhist ethics and the dynamic interplay between modern and contra-modern religious movements in Vietnam.
