Mapping the Territory: Religion, Place, and Space in Asian Humanities

Philip Hsu
Asian Languages and Cultures
UC Los Angeles

Wanmeng Li
Asian Languages and Cultures
UC Los Angeles

Thomas Newhall
Asian Languages and Cultures
UC Los Angeles

Religious movements carried out by various human activities define a place and space, and occasionally vice versa. What fascinating stories do these mutual interactions yield? This project brings together scholars from the UC system and beyond in order to metaphorically “map” the territory that encompasses the relationship between religion and place across Asia. The group explores topics including but not limited to historical studies of religious practices and places, literary studies of texts and ritual spaces, ethnographic studies on religious landscapes, and archeological studies on religious sites and artifacts. The project explores the existing theories and methods used in religious studies of space and place and consider how they may be applied to studies of Asia. The project also aims to investigate how spaces and places, either real or imagined, contribute to contemplative, ritualistic, artistic, or ethical aspects of life within religious traditions, texts, and activities throughout Asia. By collaboratively constructing a paradigm for the study of place and space in religious traditions, we can come to a more comprehensive understanding of how Asian religions can be integrated into the discourse of the humanities more broadly.