Beata Grant

EDUCATION:
PhD Stanford University, 1987

RESEARCH AREAS:
Chinese religion and literature; Pre-modern Chinese women's literature and culture; Buddhism

CURRENT RESEARCH:
Gender and Chinese Popular Religious Literature

PUBLICATIONS:
Eminent Nuns: Women Chan Masters of Seventeenth-Century China (University of Hawaii Press, 2008).

(with W.L. Idema) The Red Brush: Women Writers of Imperial China (Asia Center Harvard University, 2004).

Daughters of Emptiness: Poems of Chinese Buddhist Nuns (Wisdom Publications, 2003).

Mount Lu Revisited: Buddhism in the Life and Writings of Su Shih (1037-1107) (University of Hawaii's Press, 1994).

Introduction to Religious Traditions II: Asian Religions:
This course is designed to introduce students to the study of religion by exploring the major religious traditions of Asia. Traditions that have taken shape in Asian cultural contexts include the Buddhist, Sikh, Islamic, Hindu, Taoist, Jain, and Confucian traditions. These traditions have shaped and been shaped by the rich traditions of literary and performative culture, ethics, sociality and polity in the regions of Asia. Familiarity with these traditions provides a foundation for understanding the cultures of South and East Asia, from film and literature to contemporary political life. Study of Asian traditions also deepens our understanding of the possibilities of human being and striving, and of the manifold aims and means of religious endeavor. Note: Specific traditions and regions emphasized in this course will vary. This course replaces L23 106 and is required of all Religious Studies majors who have not taken L23 106. 3 units.

Topics in Religious Studies: Gender and Religion in China:
In this course, we will explore the images, roles, and experience of women in Chinese religions: Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and so-called "popular" religion. Topics to be discussed include: gender concepts, norms, and roles in each religious tradition; notions of femininity and attitudes towards the female body; biographies of women in Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist literature; female goddesses and deities; and the place of the Buddhist and Daoist nun and laywoman in Chinese society. All readings will be in English or in English translation. PREREQ: SENIOR/GRADUATE STANDING. STUDENTS WITH NO PREVIOUS BACKGROUND IN CHINESE RELIGION, LITERATURE OR CULTURE WILL NEED TO OBTAIN INSTRUCTOR'S PERMISSION BEFORE ENROLLING. 3 units. Same as L06 ANECC 4711, L04 Chinese 4711, L03 East Asia 4711, L97 IAS 4712, L77 WGS 4711.