EAST 154 - Religious Objects in East Asian Religions

FC ARHU CD

4 credits
This course examines East Asian religions through case studies of material objects. In the histories of Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and Shinto, physical things have participated in the making of religious identities by serving ceremonial and practical purposes, giving shape to doctrine, and mediating exchanges between religious communities and society. These diverse roles will be assessed in the study of a wide range of objects, including statues, silk, aromatics, scrolls, hair, robes, portraits, and relics. We seek to enliven textual accounts with perspectives from material culture and the senses, and along the way engage issues of materiality, representation, and agency.

This course is cross-listed with RELG-240