Bristol Buddhist Studies

‌‌Bristol Buddhist Studies, previously the Centre for Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol was created in 1993 within the Department of Theology and Religious Studies as the first Centre for Buddhist Studies in the UK.

Bristol Buddhist Studies comprises three fulltime members of staff all in Theology and Religious Studies: Dr Rita Langer (Senior Lecturer in Buddhist Studies), Dr Benedetta Lomi (Senior Lecturer in East Asian Religions), and Dr Yael Shiri (Lecturer in Religious Studies), as well as Emeritus Professor Rupert Gethin.

At undergraduate level we offer a BA programme in Theology and Religious Studies where students may choose from a large variety of Buddhist Studies units; at graduate level we offer an MPhil programme with a Buddhist Studies focus and supervision of research, potentially leading to PhD. This is in addition to hosting various talks and events.

The Centre was home to an AHRC funded research project on “Buddhist Death Rituals in Southeast Asia and China” (2007–2010), whose outcomes included conference papers, an edited volume, exhibitions (2012), and two documentary films on the Buddhist Death Rituals of Southeast Asia and China. During the course of this project the European Consortium for Asian Field Studies was founded, and Bristol University was one of its founding members. The consortium supports and finances centres throughout Asia, including a centre in Chiang Mai (Thailand).

If you have any queries related to the Bristol Buddhist Studies, please e-mail Rita Langer at: Rita.Langer@bristol.ac.uk.