AAR2024 Panel: Pacific World at 100: Women in American Buddhism

Pacific World at 100: Women in American Buddhism

SAVE THE DATE:
Friday, November 22, 2024, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Omni Hotel
675 L St.
San Diego, CA 92101
Grand C (Fourth Floor)

• This event is open to the public
• Registration for the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion is encouraged but not required.

For more information on the annual meeting, please visit the AAR’s website and online program.

This event is being generously supported by the Institute of Buddhist Suites and BDK America.

Please join us at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion in San Diego on Friday November 22 for a roundtable discussion and reception to celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Pacific World: Journal of the Institute of Buddhist Studies.

Founded by Yehan Numata in 1925 while he was a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, the Pacific World was originally a monthly publication fostering inter-cultural connection between the United States and Japan. The journal featured articles on Japanese Buddhism and culture and was distributed widely across North America and Asia. Due to funding issues, the Pacific World ceased publication after four years.

With the generous support of Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai, founded by Yehan Numata in the post-war years, the Institute of Buddhist Studies revived the Pacific World as an annual academic journal in 1982. Now in its fourth series, the Pacific World is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal produced by the Institute and supported by BDK America.

The International Association of Shin Buddhist Studies is proud to co-host a roundtable discussion and reception to celebrate the Pacific World’s long history.

The roundtable discussion, featuring notable scholars across multiple disciplines and methodologies, will discuss the topic of women in Buddhist America, inviting dialogue between feminist ethics, philosophy, comparative studies, anthropology, and historical studies. Whereas Buddhist American studies has gained attention within Buddhist Studies more broadly, with welcome attention to the racial dimensions of Buddhist practice and scholarship, the topic of American Buddhist women remains a lacuna. This panel aims to draw attention to this area by generating questions and sharing insights from each scholar’s area of expertise with the hope of inspiring future research on the representations, contributions, and experiences of American women across Buddhist traditions.

Panelists include Paula Arai (Institute of Buddhist Studies), Courtney Bruntz (Institute of Buddhist Studies), Hsiao-Lan Hu (University of Detroit Mercy), and Nalika Gajaweera (independent scholar), with Natalie Quli (Institute of Buddhist Studies) serving as moderator.

A reception will follow the discussion.