Thomas Mazanec

Thomas Mazanec is an Associate Professor of Premodern Chinese and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He specializes in Medieval Chinese poetry, Buddhism, Comparative Literature, Digital Humanities, and Translation Studies. His office is located in HSSB 2255, and he holds office hours on Mondays from 1-3pm for Spring 2025.

His research focuses on premodern Chinese literature and religion, as well as their encounters with other cultures. He is particularly interested in world literature, poetics, digital humanities, and translation studies. His publications cover a broad range of topics, from the evolution of Sanskrit literary terms in medieval China to systems of monetary, religious, and literary debts, to the potential contributions of network analysis to literary history.

Professor Mazanec's first book, "Poet-Monks: The Invention of Buddhist Poetry in Medieval China," was published by Cornell University Press in 2024. This work explores the formation of a tradition of "poet-monks" during the ninth and tenth centuries and how these monks brought together poetic and religious practice in their verses. His current research includes studies of religious and literary infrastructure, Buddhist poetry written by architects of Buddhist persecutions, and the limits of "lyricism" as a lens for understanding classical Chinese poetry.

He is the East Asia section editor for the Journal of the American Oriental Society and the Acting Director of Translation Studies at UCSB's Comparative Literature Program. His teaching portfolio includes courses such as East Asian Cultural Studies 4A, Chinese 80: Masterpieces of Chinese Literature, Chinese 101A/B: Introduction to Classical Chinese, and various specialized courses on Tang literature and Buddhist poetry.

• Medieval Chinese Poetry
• Buddhism and Literature
• Digital Humanities Applications in Literary Studies
• Translation Theory and Practice
• Comparative Poetics
• Religious and Literary Infrastructure in Premodern China

Professor Mazanec maintains a collection of unusual translations of classical Chinese poetry into English and co-edits an online bibliography of Chinese poetry in translation. His scholarly work demonstrates a consistent interest in the intersection of religious practice and literary creation in premodern China, with particular attention to Buddhist influences on poetic forms and practices.

Contact information:

• Email: mazanec@eastasian.ucsb.edu
• Office: HSSB 2255
• Office Hours: Mondays 1-3pm (Spring 2025)
• Social Media: Mastodon and Bluesky