Asian Studies
Cold War Genres
Argues that the post-independence period was a unique era of literary experimentation in Hindi literature, which must be read in the contexts of both local and global cultural, social, and literary history.
Strange, Surprising, Sure
Accessible and wide-ranging essays on the philosophy of religion.
Religion and Women in India
Examines the intersections of gender, religion, and politics among various Indian religious communities, from early British rule to the late twentieth century.
Living Chinese Philosophy
Contrasts classical Greek ontology ("the science of being in itself") with Confucian "zoetology" ("the art of living").
Behind Kṛṣṇa’s Smile
Examines Kṛṣṇa’s hint of laughter (prahasann iva) in the Bhagavadgītā, its interpretations in the Vedānta commentarial tradition, and its significance in Kṛṣṇaite iconography and literature.
Ruling Devotion
Combines historical, literary, art historical, and archaeological perspectives to explore the idea of the Hindu temple in the British colonial imagination.
State Power and Governance in Early Imperial China
Offers a new perspective on the first dynasty of imperial China and the reasons for its collapse.
Affective Betrayal
Seeks to introduce an "affective turn" to the study of China's political modernization process.
Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue
An approachable and readable translation of a classic work of Chinese literature and landmark work of non-Western fiction writing.
Bone, Bronze, and Bamboo
Explores how the tremendous wealth of newly unearthed artifacts and manuscripts have changed our understanding of China's past.
The Sound of Vultures' Wings
Explores the music of the Tibetan Chöd tradition.
The China Race
An analysis of the China Race—the global competition for leadership and world order between the US-led West and the People's Republic of China.
I, Yantra
Argues that ancient yantra (robot) tales reveal how their Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain authors thought about the nature of humanity and our role in a cosmos filled with divine and natural forces.
Hokkaido Dairy Farm
Argues that the dairy industry in Japan has always been entwined with notions of Otherness and security seeking, notably in terms of frontiers.
Relations and Roles in China's Internationalism
Creative exploration of how the encounter between Confucianism and western (neo)liberalism necessarily leads to the unlearning of both.
The Whirlpool That Produced China
Provides a philosophical, cultural, and historical answer to the question: Where did China come from?
The Sāṃkhya System
Explores the Sāṃkhya system and the delicate relationship it articulates between witness consciousness (Puruṣa) and manifest realities (Prakṛti), providing a path to freedom through knowledge.
Metaphor and Meaning
Examines questions of cosmos, society, and self through the metaphors and language of ancient Chinese texts and artifacts.
Those Who Act Ruin It
Presents an iconoclastic account of morality and moral discourse from the perspective of Daoist philosophy.
Empire of Culture
Shows how Britain's trans-imperial engagements in the long nineteenth century have come to shape global cultural commodity flows today.
Myth and the Making of History
Sheds new light on the relationship between myth and history in ancient China and the central role they have played in shaping early Chinese thought.
Unlocking the Chinese Gate
Offers an innovative analysis of gates—as architectural components, visual images, and mental constructs—in early Chinese thought and material culture.
Through a Nuclear Lens
Examines the increasingly reciprocal nature of Franco-Japanese cultural exchange through films that center on nuclear issues.
Freedom's Frailty
Draws on Guo Xiang's commentary on the Zhuangzi to construct an account of freedom that is both metaphysical and political.
Narrative Devices in the Shiji
Provides a new model for reading the Shiji and other early Chinese historical texts.