Sarah Jacoby

Sarah Jacoby is a Professor of Religious Studies at Northwestern University, specializing in Tibetan Buddhism with particular focus on gender and sexuality, religious autobiography, Buddhist revelation, and Tibetan literature. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia and previously held a postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University’s Society of Fellows in the Humanities.

• Key academic affiliations: Northwestern University (2009–present), Columbia University (postdoc), University of Virginia (Ph.D.)
• Teaching areas: Introduction to Buddhism, Buddhism and Gender, Tibetan Religion and Culture, Feminist Theory, Religion and Celibacy

Research Themes: Jacoby’s work centers on Tibetan Buddhist women’s voices through textual translation and analysis. Her groundbreaking study of Sera Khandro (1892–1940) explores:

• Autobiographical ventriloquy and spiritual legitimacy
• Interdependent personhood and relational ethics
• Translation methodology as ethical practice
• Gender dynamics in tantric Buddhist practices

Academic Impact:

• 2016 E. Gene Smith Book Prize for Love and Liberation
• 2015 American Academy of Religion Book Award Finalist
• Co-organizer of 2022 Tibetan translation workshop
• Advocate for Tibetan script in academic publications

Key Projects:

• Current book project on Lelung Zhepai Dorjé’s biographical texts
• Khyentse Foundation Buddhist Studies Lecture Series chair
• Collaborative translation initiatives with Tibetan writers and scholars