Michael Ing assembled the following list of panels at the annual American Academy of Religion (AAR) meeting, currently underway…
Here are panels of interest at the AAR this weekend. The entire program can be found here: https://papers.aarweb.org/program-book/30613. Looking forward to seeing you.
Sunday, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM | Sheraton, Boston Common (Fifth Floor)
Session ID: A23-109
Hosted by: Confucian Traditions Unit
Theme: Beyond Boundaries: Confucianism and The Evolution of Chinese Utopian Thought
The concept of utopia has long captivated thinkers across cultures, including in China, where diverse utopian visions emerged within Confucian, Daoist, and Legalist traditions. Scholars often argue that while Confucian utopias emphasized hierarchy and morality, Daoist models championed harmony with nature, whereas Legalist visions sought strict governance. However, rigid classifications overlook the fluidity of Chinese utopian thought, as thinkers often blended elements from different traditions. This panel challenges traditional paradigms by exploring varied Chinese utopian visions. The first paper critiques the Legalist utopia of Shang Yang and Han Feizi, highlighting its dystopian consequences. The second examines the utopian poetry of Tao Yuanming, revealing its Confucian influences. The third analyzes contemporary Confucian philosopher Zhang Xianglong’s proposal for Special Districts for Confucian Culture, showing its fusion of Confucian, Daoist, and Western ideas. Together, these studies demonstrate the adaptability of Chinese utopian thought, transcending rigid intellectual boundaries to shape evolving ideals of society.
Monday, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM | Sheraton, Boston Common (Fifth Floor)
Session ID: A24-113
Hosted by: Confucian Traditions Unit
Theme: Confucian Contemplative Practices and Self-Cultivation
This session continues the discussion of Confucian Contemplation. All presenters contribute to an upcoming special issue of the Journal of Contemplative Studies.
The first paper explores Mencius’ contemplative practices—restorative sleep, self-examination, and empathetic extension—as pathways to cultivating “flood-like qi,” enabling noetic insights into human goodness. The second paper revisits Zhu Xi’s meditative reading, comparing it with lectio divina, and argues for a more nuanced understanding of its interplay between vocal recitation and silent reflection. The third paper critiques the hierarchical distortions of gyeong/jing (敬, reverence) via Korean Confucianism and advocates for a reciprocal, inclusive ethical framework. The final paper examines the Kongyang Confucian Fellowship’s digital spiritual journaling, revealing its role in adapting Neo-Confucian self-cultivation for the modern era. Together, these studies illuminate Confucianism’s evolving contemplative dimensions.
Monday, 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Sheraton, Fairfax A (Third Floor)
Session ID: A24-210
Hosted by: Confucian Traditions Unit and Psychology, Culture, and Religion Unit
Theme: Moral and Immoral Emotions in Korean Confucian Philosophy and Culture
This panel explores emotions in Korean philosophy and culture, offering diverse perspectives on moral and immoral emotions. The first presentation examines the emotional life of Confucian sages using Yi Ik’s comprehensive typology of emotions. The second paper reframes negative emotions within the Confucian tradition through Jeong Yagyong’s work, emphasizing individualized moral self-cultivation.
The third presentation analyzes emotional expressions in Joseon literati women’s writings, highlighting how their articulations of resentment and vulnerability facilitated interpersonal connections. The final paper investigates the philosophical implications of Jeong, a contemporary Korean emotional concept, comparing it with ancient Greek and Chinese notions of joy.
Collectively, these papers provide a multifaceted examination of emotions in Korean philosophical thought, spanning historical Confucian perspectives to present-day cultural concepts. This research contributes to understanding the complex interplay between Confucian ethics, gender dynamics, and emotional expression in Korean society.
Saturday, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Marriott Copley Place, Columbus I and…
Session ID: P22-103
Hosted by: International Society for Chinese Philosophy
Theme: The Richness of Chinese Religiosity
Panel 1: The Third Wave of Confucianism and Tu Weiming’s Contributions
Presider:
Peter Phan, Georgetown University
Panelists:
Mary Evelyn Tucker, Yale University – “Reflections on Tu Weiming’s Contributions to Ecology and Spirituality.”
Yong Huang, Chinese University of Hongkong and Fudan University – “Tu Weiming’s Anthropocosmism and the Self-Other Merging in Contemporary Moral Psychology.”
Jianbao Wang, Peking University and Chung Kong Business School -“From Global Ethics to Multi-Planetary Ethics: A Perspective of Spiritual Humanism.”
Young-chan Ro, George Mason University – “Humanism and Beyond: Tu Weiming and Raimon Panikkar in Dialogical Dialogue.”
Respondent:
Sojeong Park, Sungkyunkwan University
Panel 2: Exploring the Richness of Chinese Religiosity
Panelists:
Hao Hong, University of Maine – “The Power of Indecisiveness: An Interpretation of Wu-wei (無為) in Daodejing.”
Lam Kuen, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology – “Is Realization of Self-nature 見性 a conceptual trap? A Critical Review of Huineng through the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra”
Haoyue Yang, Georgetown University – “Happy Bodhisattvas and Angry Sages: Śāntideva and the Cheng Brothers on Anger.”
Martin Lu , Bond University – “The Onto-hermeneutical Philosophy of Chung-ying Cheng and Chinese Christian Theology of Thomas In-sing Leung.”
Saturday, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Sheraton, Berkeley (Third Floor)
Session ID: A22-305
Hosted by: Daoist Studies Unit
Theme: Contemplating the Dao: New directions in the study of Chinese religion and contemplative traditions, in response to the work of Harold D. Roth
This roundtable brings together scholars of early Chinese religion, Daoist studies, and contemplative studies to explore new directions in their fields through the lens of Harold D. Roth’s influential work. Roth’s research has significantly impacted how scholars understand early Chinese texts and practices, emphasizing the central role of contemplative practice and challenging long-held assumptions about the context of textual production in early China. His contributions also extend to the study of classical Chinese thought more broadly, cross-cultural religious ethics, and the emerging field of contemplative studies. Panelists will reflect on Roth’s legacy, engage critically with his methods, and discuss how his work informs new research across religious studies, history, philosophy, contemplative studies, and more. Featuring diverse disciplinary perspectives, this session highlights the continued relevance of Roth’s scholarship while raising new questions for future inquiry.
Saturday, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM | Sheraton, Stuart (Third Floor)
Session ID: A22-422
Hosted by: Language, Poiesis, and Buddhist Experiments with the Possible Seminar
Theme: Musical Forms, Philosophical Visions: Poiesis and Poetics in the Sinographic Sphere, Session 2
This year our seminar investigates the role and meaning of language and its forms of expression—poetic foremost—in the sinographic sphere, where the Literary Sinitic Buddhist canon was used and shaped. In this second session, Jean Tsui’s paper explores the Ming philosopher Wang Yangming’s (1472-1529) invention of “song poems” and the implications of creating forms without content for his philosophical vision. Jiangnan Li’s paper investigates how Song Emperor Taizong’s (r. 976–997) poetic compositions shape new religious meanings by blending Buddhist, Daoist, and Sinitic literary and musical forms. Laurie Patton’s and Heather Blair’s responses will bring our presenters’ work into broader conversations on language and poiesis that this seminar has fostered, including last year’s discussion of poetics in early and medieval South Asia.
Sunday, 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM | Marriott Copley Place, Suffolk (Third…
Session ID: A23-218
Hosted by: Korean Religions Unit
Theme: Noteworthy Trends and Developments in English-language Scholarship on Korean Religions in the Past Twenty-Five Years
The past twenty-five years have seen a blossoming of English-language scholarship on Korean religions. Yet little effort has been made to reflect on this scholarship as a community of Korean religions scholars–little effort, for example, to determine areas that have been studied well, that have been neglected or understudied, to recognize figures and texts that have been pivotal in advancing our understanding of various aspects of Korean religions. This roundtable aims to engage in such reflection, by discussing noteworthy trends and developments in English-language scholarship on the five main religious traditions of Korea in the past quarter century–Buddhism, Confucianism, Catholicism, Protestantism, and Shamanism–with discussion on each led by a panelist. During open discussion, in addition to questions specific to abovementioned traditions, broader questions—such as What does the future hold for the study of Korean Religions in the English language? —may also be entertained.
Sunday, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Hynes Convention Center, 206 (Second…
Session ID: A23-303
Hosted by: Asian North American Religion, Culture, and Society Unit, Chinese Religions Unit and Japanese Religions Unit
Theme: East Asian Self-Cultivation Practices in Transnational and Diasporic Perspective
This roundtable panel takes a transnational perspective to consider the potential utility of the East Asian concept of “self-cultivation” (a catch-all English translation of a group of related words, including 修養, 修身, and 修行) for religious studies and as a potential sub-discipline. Scholars of religion in China, Korea, Japan, and East Asian diasporas (in the U.S. and Europe) will present examples of how the category of self-cultivation appears in their varied research areas and works as a means to think about a range of practices that the academy often describes as “religious” or “spiritual” against the claims of practitioners themselves, who often distinguish their practices from religion. We will also reflect on the adequacy of the English phrase “self-cultivation” as an analytical or pedagogical framework, as it may reify a concept of “self” that obscures emic goals of overcoming an illusory selfhood or being overly self-centered.
Sunday, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Sheraton, Olmsted (Fifth Floor)
Session ID: A23-309
Hosted by: Comparative Studies in Religion Unit
Theme: Love of Neighbor in Dialogue Across Religions
This session explores the concept of “Love of Neighbor” as a fundamental ethical and spiritual principle across religious traditions. Through a comparative analysis, panelists will examine how this idea(l) is articulated in the sacred texts of their respective traditions and the specific practices that exemplify and embody it. Questions to be addressed include: Who is considered a “neighbor”? What obligations does this love entail? And what historical, cultural, and social contexts influence the interpretations and practices of this ideal.
Sunday, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM | Sheraton, Back Bay B (Second Floor)
Session ID: A23-412
Hosted by: Daoist Studies Unit
Theme: Negotiation and Compromise: Bridging the Gap Between Doctrine and Practice in Chinese Religions
This panel explores the dynamic interplay between doctrine and practice across religious and philosophical traditions. While doctrine is often perceived as prescriptive, this panel argues that it functions as a fluid resource, subject to reinterpretation and instrumentalization by its practitioners. Rather than being passively enacted, doctrine both shapes and is shaped by practice. Through four case studies spanning Buddhism, Daoism, folk beliefs (fengshui), and Confucianism, this panel examines how doctrinal ideals were negotiated in specific historical contexts. The first paper reconstructs Tang Buddhist burial practices, revealing the mediation between canonical principles and local customs. The second investigates Jiaobei divination, demonstrating how collective ritual participation constructs “orthodox” traditions. The third analyzes Northern Song Fengshui, illustrating how elite families selectively applied geomantic principles for strategic ends. The fourth explores the legitimization of Wang Yangming’s legacy, highlighting the role of biographical narratives in doctrinal reconfiguration. Together, these studies offer a framework for understanding doctrine as a lived and contested practice.
Sunday, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM | Hynes Convention Center, 203 (Second…
Session ID: A23-418
Hosted by: Indian and Chinese Religions in Dialogue Unit
Theme: Transformative Functionality of Art: Cultivating Aesthetic Experiences between South Asian and East Asian traditions
This panel furthers the functional turn in the study of art to recouple philosophical analyses of concepts with empirical research on material culture. Bringing together scholars who work on Brahmanical, Buddhist, and Confucian traditions, the panel explores how and why aesthetic experiences function to ameliorate the moral and soteriological cultivation of practitioners. To unpack such a transformative function of art, presenters in this panel examine theories proposed by thinkers across South Asian and East Asian traditions for an interregional, intercultural, and interdisciplinary conversation. Besides, they will tap into the efficacy of art in resolving various types of paradoxes in the cultivating process. Such a conversation lays the groundwork for reconsidering the possibility of closing the rift between theories and praxis in contemporary studies of art.
Monday, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Sheraton, Liberty C (Second Floor)
Session ID: A24-307
Hosted by: Global-Critical Philosophy of Religion Unit
Theme: Book panel: Global Philosophy (Equinox, 2025)
The new sourcebook Global Philosophy (Equinox, 2025) is a first-of-its-kind collection of translations, writings, and conversations by sixty leading contemporary philosophers and translators, featuring some of the major ideas, themes, and arguments nearly one hundred philosophical texts of Africana, Buddhist, Confucian, Hindu, Islamic, Jain, Jewish, Latin American, Mesoamerican, Native American, and Taoist philosophy. It includes translations from sixteen different languages on topics including metaphysics, cosmology, epistemology, philosophy of language, logic, ethics, storytelling, philosophy of religion, selfhood, death, and freedom.
In this roundtable, contributors and teachers who have used the volume will discuss how it fits into philosophy research and pedagogy. There will also be discussion of the relative merits of labels like “global philosophy,” “cross-cultural philosophy,” and “fusion philosophy”; connections between these and allied fields such as the history of philosophy and the philosophy of religion; the challenges of making space for them in the Anglo-American academy; and other questions.
