Dr. Halle O Neal

Associate Professor

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Biography

Halle O’Neal is a Reader in Japanese Buddhist Art and Co-Director of the Edinburgh Centre for Buddhist Studies at the University of Edinburgh. She has contributed to the field through editorial roles, including as Co-Editor for the journal Buddhist Studies Review and as a Trustee for the Association for Art History. With experience as a Mellon Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University and a postdoctoral fellow at the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University, O'Neal has developed a distinguished academic profile. Her research interests encompass Japanese Buddhist art, epistolary culture, and the reuse and recycling of visual material culture. She is the author of forthcoming works such as 'Dead Letters: Reuse, Recycling, Mourning in Japanese Buddhist Manuscripts' set to be published by Harvard University Asia Center in 2026. Her previous book, 'Word Embodied: Jeweled Pagoda Mandalas in Japanese Buddhist Art,' also published by Harvard, examines the performativity of word and image in religious contexts. O'Neal's research is supported by prestigious grants from the Leverhulme Trust, British Academy, and ACLS Ho Family Foundation. She teaches various courses related to Buddhist relics and the religious art of medieval Japan at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Research Interests

Experience

Reader

2019-01-01 — Present

University of Edinburgh • Edinburgh

Reader in Japanese Buddhist Art and Co-Director of Edinburgh Centre for Buddhist Studies.

Mellon Assistant Professor

2015-08-01 — 2018-05-31

Vanderbilt University • Nashville, TN

Assistant Professor focusing on Japanese Art History.

Postdoctoral Fellow

2014-09-01 — 2015-08-31

Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University • Cambridge, MA

Engaged in research and academic contributions to Japanese Studies.

Courses

Blood, Bones, Bodies: Buddhist Relics in Asia (4th year) Visions of Buddha: Religious Art of Medieval Japan (3rd year) History of Art 1 (1st year) Art History: Texts, Objects, Institutions (3rd year) Global Middle Ages Core Course (MSc) Art Afterlife: Buddhist Relics and Asian Material Culture (MSc)

Requirements for University of Edinburgh

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.25
IELTS
Listening
Required:6
Reading
Required:6
Writing
Required:6
Speaking
Required:6
Overall
Required:7
TOEFL
Listening
Required:20
Reading
Required:20
Writing
Required:20
Speaking
Required:20
Total
Required:100
Prerequisites
Undergraduate degree in business, management, or related subject
Application Checklist
  • Academic transcripts
  • Personal statement
  • One academic reference
  • CV/Resume
Specialization Notes

Department of Marketing