Dr. Hwansoo Kim

Biography

Hwansoo Kim is a Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Yale University, specializing in Korean Buddhism and culture. He received his Ph.D. in colonial history of Korean and Japanese Buddhism from Harvard University in 2007. His academic journey includes a joint appointment at Duke University in the Department of Religious Studies and the Asian & Middle Eastern Studies Department from 2009 to 2018, and he taught at the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona from 2008 to 2009. His current research explores Korean Buddhism from a colonial, modern, and contemporary perspective, with a focus on transnational issues. He has authored several significant works, including 'Empire Dharma: Korean Japanese Buddhism, 1877–1912' (Harvard University Asia Center, 2013) and 'Korean Buddhist Empire: Transnational History, 1910-1945' (Harvard University Asia Center, 2018). Recently, he co-authored 'New Perspectives on Modern Korean Buddhism' (SUNY Press, 2022) and is working on a book project titled 'Clerical Marriage in Modern Korean Buddhism.'

Research Interests