Sara Ann Swenson
https://saswenson.com/

Curriculum Vitae
Academic Appointments
Dartmouth College; Hanover, NH
2021–Present Assistant Professor, Religion
Faculty Affiliate: Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages Program
Visiting Appointments
Cornell University; Ithaca, NY
2023–2024 Visiting Fellow: Einaudi Center for International Studies(Southeast Asia Program)
Education
Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
2021 Ph.D. in Religion
Dissertation: “Sharing Hearts: Buddhist Charities and Urbanization in Vietnam”
2016 M. Phil. in Religion
2016 Future Professoriate Program Certificate in University Teaching2015 Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies
Iliff School of Theology, Denver, CO2012 M.A. in Comparative Religion (Graduated with Distinction)
Thesis: “Ascetic Salvation Narratives in the Food Practices of Modern U.S. Women”
University of Minnesota-Duluth, Duluth, MN
2009 Bachelor of Arts (Graduated “Summa Cum Laude” with Distinction and Honors)
Senior Honors Paper: “Love, Sex, and Commodification in The Age of Innocence”

Publications
Books
Under Review, Near Light We Shine: Buddhist Charity in Urban Vietnam.

Swenson C.V., 2

2024
2023
2022
2020
2020
2020

2024
2021
2018
2017

Journal Articles (Anonymously Peer-Reviewed)“The Merit of Meat: Karma as Social Fact among Buddhist Food Charities inVietnam.” Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus 22 (7): 5829.
https://apjjf.org/2024/2/swenson“An Uncouth Monk: The Moral Aesthetics of Buddhist Para-Charisma.” Journal of
Religious Ethics 51 (4): 761–781. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/jore.12456“‘Three Trees Make a Mountain’: Women and Contramodern Buddhist Volunteerism
in Vietnam.” Asian Ethnology 81 (1–2): 3–22. Web:https://asianethnology.org/articles/2377“The Affective Politics of Karma among Buddhist Cancer Charities in Vietnam.”
Journal of Vietnamese Studies 15 (4): 33–62. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1525/vs.2020.15.4.33“Following Feeling: Karma and the Senses in Buddhist Nuns’ Ordination
Narratives.” Journal of Global Buddhism 21: 71–86. DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/4030985“Compassion without pity: Buddhist dana as charity, humanitarianism, and altruism.”
Religion Compass 14 (9): 1–10. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/rec3.12371
Journal Articles (Reviewed by the Editor)“The Life and Legacies of Thích Nhất Hạnh.” Journal of Vietnamese Studies 19 (1): 1–8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/vs.2024.19.1.1“The Political Spirituality of Buddhist Volunteerism in Contemporary Vietnam.”
Political Theology 22 (1): 68–74. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1080/1462317X.2020.1866815“Mixed-Reality: Social Media as Ethnographic Method.” Journal of Theta Alpha Kappa
National Honor Society for Religious Studies and Theology 42 (1): 1–15.
“Religious Wonderlands: Eros, Madness, and Ethics in Religious Studies through thework of Lynne Huffer.” Journal of Theology & Sexuality 22 (3): 133–142.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13558358.2017.1329885

Co-Authored Journal Articles (Anonymously Peer-Reviewed)
2024 “Religion, Food Charity, and Care in Vietnam.” Co-authored with Le Hoang Anh
Thu. Introduction to a Special Issue of Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus 22 (4): 5826.
https://apjjf.org/2024/2/food-charity-religion-care-vietnam
Co-Authored Journal Articles (Reviewed by the Editor)
2023 “Buddhist Moral Emotions.” Co-authored with Jessica Starling. Introduction to aSpecial Issue of Journal of Religious Ethics 51 (4): 691–700. DOI:
http://doi.org/10.1111/jore.12454

Swenson C.V., 3
Book Chapters (Anonymously Peer-Reviewed)
Draft submitted to editor (January 2024), “Engaged Buddhism as Diplomacy in the Life andTeachings of Thích Nhất Hạnh,” solicited for Figures of Buddhist Diplomacy, edited by
Chia Meng Tat Jack.
Book Reviews2024 “Alexander Soucy – Zen Conquests: Buddhist Transformations in Contemporary
Vietnam.” Journal of Asian Studies 83, no. 2 (2024): 509–511. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1215/00219118-11057980
2022 “Allison J. Truitt – Pure Land in the Making: Vietnamese Buddhism in the US Gulf
South.” Journal of Vietnamese Studies 17 (2–3): 176–179. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1525/vs.2022.17.2-3.176

Awards
2024
2024
2023
2023
2022
2022
2020
2020
2020
2018
2017
2017
2016
2015
2015
2015
2014
2011

Grants and Fellowships
Class of 1962 Faculty Fellowship (Dartmouth College)
Tzu Chi Foundation, Grant for Research on Buddhist Environmentalism
American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Fellowship
Luce Foundation Responsive Grant, Fellow: “Learning with and Resourcing AsianAmerican Religious Coalitions” (Led by Jonathan Tran, Melissa Borja, & David Chao)
Dartmouth College Leslie Humanities Center Project Grant
American Academy of Religion Collaborative Research Grant
Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Writing Fellowship
Pre-dissertation Fellowship, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic
Diversity in Göttingen, Germany (Declined for Newcombe)
Syracuse University Dissertation Fellowship (Declined for Newcombe)
Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Grant
Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Dissertation Fellowship in Buddhist Studies
Boren National Security Education Program Fellowship (Declined for Ho Fellowship)
SEASSI Tuition Scholarship and Stipend to attend SEASSI (Southeast Asian Studies
Summer Institute) in Madison, WI
Syracuse University Moynihan Institute East Asia Summer Research Grant for fieldresearch in East or Southeast Asia (Vietnam)
Syracuse University Religion Department Grant for Fieldwork in Vietnam
FLAS (Foreign Language and Area Studies) Fellowship to attend SEASSI (Southeast
Asian Studies Summer Institute) in Madison, WI
FLAS (Foreign Language and Area Studies) Fellowship to attend SEASSI (Southeast
Asian Studies Summer Institute) in Madison, WI
Beatitudes Society Summer Fellow, Internship in San Francisco, CA, USASwenson C.V., 4

2023
2022
2021
2020
2020
2017
2015
2015
2014
2012
2012
2009

Prizes and Nominations
Nominated for the ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award
All-University Doctoral Prize for Superior Achievement in Completed Dissertations,
Syracuse University
Marleigh Grayer Ryan Graduate Writing Prize (NY Conference on Asian Studies)
Graduate Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Work at Syracuse
University
Vietnam Studies Group Graduate Paper Prize (Association for Asian Studies)
Albert Clark Award for the Best Graduate Paper from the Theta Alpha Kappa
National Honor Society for Religious Studies and Theology
Nominated Usha Mahajani Memorial Prize for outstanding graduate student inSoutheast Asian Language study (for Vietnamese)
Mary Hatch Marshall Award for the Best Essay Written by a Graduate Student in the
Humanities at Syracuse University
Nominated Usha Mahajani Memorial Prize for outstanding graduate student inSoutheast Asian Language study (for Vietnamese)
M.A. Outstanding Achievement Award, Iliff School of Theology
Student of the Year, Iliff School of Theology
Mike Lenz Creative Writing Award, University of Minnesota Duluth

Language Training
Vietnamese: Advanced – three years of intensive coursework in reading, writing, andspeaking, plus nine years of experience in field research.
French:Certified academic reading proficiency.
Spanish:Certified academic reading proficiency.

Presentations
2024
2024
2022
2022
2022

Invited Lectures and Symposiums“An Uncouth Monk: The Moral Aesthetics of Buddhist Para-Charisma.” Lecture.
Department of Religious Studies, University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA, USA).
“The Merit of Meat: Politics of Vegetarianism among Buddhist Charities in Vietnam.”
Lecture. Religion Department. Saint Mary’s University (Hallifax, Nova Scotia, CA).
“Murmurs and Yelps: Buddhist Ethical Soundscapes in Vietnam.” Yale Council on
Southeast Asia Studies Brown Bag Seminar (Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA).
“Common Karma and Collective Action.” Paper. Lived Karma Symposium (Hanover,
NH, USA).
“Near Light We Shine: Buddhist Charity and Urbanization in Vietnam.” Robert H. N.
Ho Family Foundation, Manuscript Development Workshop (Princeton, NJ, USA).

Swenson C.V., 5

2021
2019

2019
2019
2015

2024
2024
2024
2024
2024
2024
2023
2023
2023
2023

Invited Lectures and Symposiums, Continued“‘I am only alive thanks to supernatural energy’: Women's Devotion in Buddhist
Contramodernism.” Gatty Lecture (Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA).
“Prisms of Practice: Researching across Tensions between Lay and Monastic
Buddhists in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.” Symposium fellow. Robert HN HoFamily Foundation Symposium for Buddhist Studies Dissertation Fellows(Albuquerque, NM, USA).
“Triết lý về Cảm xúc [Philosophies of Emotion].” Speaker. University of Culture
Affiliate Scholars Lecture (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam).
“Xuất bản trên Tạp chí Quốc tế [Publishing in International Journals].” Speaker.
University of Culture Affiliate Scholars Lecture (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam).
“The Medicine Buddha: Social Services, Religion and Privatization in Vietnam.”
Lecture. Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs East Asia Speaker Series (Syracuse
University, Syracuse, NY, USA).
Peer-Reviewed Conference Papers and Panels“Buddhist Interventions in Cancer, Covid, and Domestic Violence: Understanding
Karma as Ontoethics.” Paper. American Academy of Religion (San Diego, CA, USA).
“Religion and Social Transformation in Southeast Asia.” Respondent. American
Academy of Religion (San Diego, CA, USA).
“Sounding Power and Dissent in Southeast Asia.” Panelist. European Associationfor Southeast Asian Studies (Amsterdam, Netherlands).
“Haunted Relics, Apocalyptic Flowers, and Fermented Kin: Making More-ThanHuman Relations in the Anthropocene across Asia.” Roundtable organizer andpresenter. Association for Asian Studies (Seattle, WA, USA).
“Treating Human Remains as a Site of Ethical Practice in East Asian Buddhism.”
Chair. Association for Asian Studies (Seattle, WA, USA).
“The One about Southeast Asia: Complications of ‘Friendship’.” Panelist.
Association for Asian Studies (Seattle, WA, USA).
“Curing through Karma: Buddhist Approaches to Cancer and Covid in Vietnam.”
Paper. American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting (San Antonio, TX, USA);
withdrawn for medical reasons.
“Affective Ethnographies of Buddhism, Sickness, Loss, and Grief.” Panel organizer
and presider. American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting (San Antonio, TX,USA); withdrawn for medical reasons.
“Dharma in Motion: Preserving/Propagating Buddhism in Asia.” Panelist.
Association for Asia Studies (AAS), AAS-in-Asia Annual Meeting (Daegu, Korea).
“Ayurvedic Mindfulness: Buddhist Health and Healing in Vietnam.” Paper.
Negotiating Boundaries in Buddhism and Buddhist Studies Conference, sponsoredby the UK Association for Buddhist Studies (St. Andrews University, St. Andrews,
Scotland, UK).

Swenson C.V., 6
Peer-Reviewed Conference Papers and Panels, Continued
2022 “Collective Karma in Buddhist Philosophy and Lived Religion.” Panelist. American
Academy of Religion (Denver, CO, USA).
2022 “Sonic Dharma: Chanting and Reciting in the Global Buddhist Landscape.” Panelist.
American Academy of Religion (Denver, CO, USA).
2022 “Engaging Society and Nature through Science, Religious Practice, andPerformance.” Panelist. Association for Asian Studies (Honolulu, HI, USA).
2022 “Religious food charity, care, and social agency in Vietnam and Myanmar.” Panelist.
Association for Asian Studies (Honolulu, HI, USA).
2021 “Class Dynamics of Buddhist Charity in Contemporary Vietnam.” Paper. American
Academy of Religion Annual Meeting (San Antonio, TX, USA).
2021 “Female Perspectives in Arts & Literature.” Panelist. New York Conference on AsianStudies (Online).
2021 “Legacy of Colonialism in Southeast Asian Buddhism.” Presenter and panel coorganizer. European Association for Southeast Asian Studies (Olomouc, Czechia).
2020 “New Perspectives on Socially Engaged Buddhism: From Extinguishing Suffering toCollective Transformation.” Panelist. American Academy of Religion Annual
Meeting (Online).
2020 “Buddhist Circulations.” Panel respondent. Cornell University Southeast Asia
Program Graduate Conference (Ithaca, NY, USA).
2019 “Micro-Charity and the Ethics of Cancer in Ho Chi Minh City.” Presenter and panelorganizer. European Association for Southeast Asian Studies (Berlin, Germany).
2019 “Grassroots and International Charity Collaborations in Vietnam.” Presenter andpanel organizer. European Association for Southeast Asian Studies (Berlin,
Germany).
‘2019 “Better Futures for the Dead: Upgrading Ghosts with Infrastructure in Southern
Vietnam.” Paper. Society for the Anthropology of Religion (Toronto, Canada).
2017 “Asian Transformations: Theories, Challenges, Opportunities.” Panelist.
Globalization at the Crossroads: EADI NORDIC Conference (Bergen, Norway).
2017 “From Heaven to the Ends of the Earth: Vietnamese Buddhism, Modernity andGlobalization.” Panel co-organizer and presenter. European Association forSoutheast Asian Studies (Oxford, UK).
2017 “Thế hệ trẻ và Tổ chức Từ thiện Phật giáo ở Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh [The Younger
Generation and Buddhist Charity in Ho Chi Minh City].” Paper. Hội Thảo Quốc TếPhật Giáo Nhập Thế Và Các Vấn Đề Xã Hội Đương Đại [Humanistic Buddhism
Conference], (Ninh Binh, Vietnam).
2016 “Friending Buddhists in the Field: Using Social Media as an Ethnographic Method.”Presenter. Buddhism, Humanities and Ethnographic Methods Conference(Burlington, VT, USA).

Swenson C.V., 7

2016
2016
2016
2015

2015
2015
2015
2015
2014
2014
2014
2014
2013
2012

Peer-Reviewed Conference Papers and Panels, Continued“‘The Happiest People’: Buddhist Volunteering and Urbanization in Vietnam.”
Paper. SEASSI Southeast Asian Studies Student Conference (Madison, WI, USA).
“‘Sharing’ the Buddha: Social Media and Ethnographic Collaboration.” Paper.
Society for Cultural Anthropology Meeting (Ithaca, NY, USA).
“Affecting the Marginal: Buddhist Volunteer Work and Social Services in Vietnam.”
Paper. Syracuse University Religion Graduate Conference (Syracuse, NY, USA).
“Feminist Knowledge Production and Asian Inquires: Encountering Precarity in the
Ethnographic Field.” Panelist. National Women’s Studies Association Meeting(Milwaukee, WI, USA).
“‘Thich Nhat Hanh, Transnational Buddhism, and the Question of Authenticity.”
Paper. American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting (Denver, CO, USA).
“Sex, Ascesis, and Historiography.” Panel chair. American Academy of Religion
Annual Meeting (Atlanta, GA, USA).
“Zen in Vietnam: Legitimacy, Authority, and Possibility Past and Present.” Paper.
SEASSI Southeast Asian Studies Student Conference (Madison, WI, USA).
“Gendered Asceticism and Foucault’s Political Spirituality.” Paper. Syracuse
University Religion Graduate Conference (Syracuse, NY, USA).
“Cities: Sacred, Secular, Cyber.” Presenter and panel organizer. Syracuse University
History Graduate Conference (Syracuse, NY, USA).
“Gender in 19th Century New York Religions.” Paper. Eastern-International Region
American Academy of Religion Meeting (Syracuse, NY, USA).
“Revolutionizing Feminist Ontology? A Critical Engagement with Mary D. Pellauer.”“No Superior, No Inferior, No Equal: Gendering Ritual Spaces in AmericanBuddhism.” Paper. Rocky Mountain Regional AAR Conference (Denver, CO, USA).
“Is Ecumenical Dialogue through Monastic Communities Effective?” Paper. Rocky
Mountain Regional AAR Conference (Denver, CO, USA).
“Ascetic Salvation Narratives in Feminist and Womanist Veganism.” Paper.
American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting (Chicago, IL, USA).

Teaching
2025
2022–2025
2021–2025
2021–2025
2021–2023

Assistant Professor: Dartmouth College“Religions of Vietnam” Level: Introductory“Compassion: Religion, Giving, and Care” Level: Intermediate“Buddhism, Gender, Sexuality in Southeast Asia” Level: Intermediate“Religions of Southeast Asia” Level: Introductory“Sisters, Sages, Seekers: Women and Religion” Level: Introductory

Swenson C.V., 8
Instructor: Syracuse University
2020 (Spring) “Religions of the World”
Level: Introductory; Mode: Classroom/Online hybrid
2019 (Fall)“Introduction to Buddhism”
Level: Introductory; Mode: Classroom
2017 (Spring) “Sisters, Sages, Seekers: Women and Religion”
Level: Advanced; Mode: Classroom
Teaching Assistantships: Syracuse University
2020 (Spring) “Jesus in the Bible, Theology, and Art,” (Dr. Virginia Burrus)
Level: Intermediate; Mode: Classroom/Online hybrid
2019 (Fall) “Atheism and Agnosticism” (Dr. Gareth Fisher)
Level: Intermediate; Mode: Classroom
2017 (Spring) “Religion, Spirituality, and Nature” (Dr. M. Gail Hamner)
Level: Advanced; Mode: Classroom
2016 (Fall) “Religion, Meaning, and Knowledge” (Dr. Marcia Robinson)
Level: Introductory; Mode: Classroom
2016 (Spring) “Introduction to the Study of Religion” (Dr. William Robert)
Level: Introductory; Mode: Classroom
2015 (Fall) “Community and Morality” (Dr. Gareth Fisher)
Level: Intermediate; Mode: Classroom
2015 (Spring) “Religion, Meaning, and Knowledge” (Dr. Marcia Robinson)
Level: Introductory; Mode: Classroom
2014 (Fall) “Religions of the World” (Dr. Joanne Waghorne)
Level: Introductory; Mode: Classroom
2014 (Spring) “Introduction to Buddhism” (Dr. Gareth Fisher)
Level: Introductory; Mode: Classroom
2013 (Fall) “Community and Morality” (Dr. Gareth Fisher)
Level: Intermediate; Mode: Classroom

Service
University Activities and Volunteer Leadership
Dartmouth College (Faculty)
Dartmouth Center for Social Impact: Lewin Fellowship Selection Committee, 2023
Faculty Advisor, “House of Lewan” Student Drag Performance Club, 2021–Present
Faculty Guest Lecturer, The Spare Rib: Dartmouth Feminist Magazine, 2022
Faculty Guest Lecturer, Alpha Theta Gender-Inclusive Greek House at Dartmouth, 2022
Faculty Trainee, Campus Suicide Prevention Program, 2021

Swenson C.V., 9
University Activities and Volunteer Leadership, Continued
Syracuse University (PhD)
Religion Graduate Organization, President 2015–2016
Religion Graduate Organization, Member at Large 2013–2021
Syracuse Graduate Student Organization, Member at Large 2013–2015

Iliff School of Theology (MA)Student Senate Secretary, 2011–2012
First-Year Student Senate Representative, 2010–2011
Founder and President of the “Iliff Ecologians” Student Environmental Organization,
2010–2012
Student Ambassador for Prospective Students, 2011–2012
Flame LGBTQ Students Association Member, 2010–2012
Professional Organizations
Member, American Academy of Religion (AAR), 2010–Present
AAR Steering Committee, Religion in Southeast Asia Unit, 2022–2027
AAR Steering Committee, 5-Year Seminar on Collective Karma, 2022–2027
AAR Mentoring Program for Junior Scholars, Faculty Volunteer, 2022–Present
Member, Association for Asian Studies (AAS), 2017–Present
AAS Vietnam Studies Group, Executive Committee Member, 2024–2027
Member, European Association for Southeast Asian Studies (EuroSEAS), 2017–2023
Member, American Anthropological Association (AAA), 2015–2016
Member, National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA), 2015
Graduate Student Representative, Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies (AAR), 2014–2015

2024
2024
2022
2021
2021

Event Organizing: Academic Conferences and Workshops“What Not to Do: Anti-Lessons for Ethnographic Fieldwork”
Workshop Leader; Department of Religious Studies (University of Pennsylvania)“Navigating the Academic Job Market in Religious Studies”
Workshop Leader; Future Professoriate Program (Syracuse University)
Lived Karma Symposium
Planning Committee Chair; On-Site Coordinator (Dartmouth College)“Culturally-Responsive Pedagogy Workshop”
Religion Faculty Colloquium, Co-Facilitator (Dartmouth College)“Navigating the Humanities Job Market”
Workshop Leader; Future Professoriate Program (Syracuse University)

Swenson C.V., 10

2019
2019
2017
2016
2016
2015
2014

Event Organizing: Academic Conferences and Workshops, Continued“Lessons from Ethnographic Fieldwork”
Workshop Leader; Future Professoriate Program (Syracuse University)“Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in Action”
Workshop Leader; Future Professoriate Program (Syracuse University)“Writing a Successful Grant Proposal”
Workshop Leader; Future Professoriate Program (Syracuse University)
Faculty Speaker Series
Planning Committee Co-Chair, Religion Graduate Organization (Syracuse University)
Religion Graduate Conference
Planning Committee Member (Syracuse University)
Religion Graduate Conference
Planning Committee Chair (Syracuse University)
Undergraduate Conference
Planning Committee Member (Syracuse University)

Public Scholarship
2024
2022
2022
2021
2021
2020
2017
2012
2011

News Interviews, Podcasts, and Magazine Contributions“Grassroots Charity in Vietnam.” Essay. Southeast Asia Program: Spring 2024 Bulletin,
19–22. Cornell University Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies.
“Thich Nhat Hanh’s Censored Legacy.” Interview. BBC World Service – Heart and Soul
(December): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0dqz093“Buddhism in America.” Guest Lecture. Princeton Meditation Center: Tu Viện QuyNguyên (Princeton, TX, USA).
“Episode 57: Sara Ann Swenson, Dartmouth College.” Interview. Gatty Lecture
Rewind. Podcast: https://gattyrewind.libsyn.com/episode-57-sara-ann-swenson-assistant-professordepartment-of-religion-dartmouth-college“Big Moves with Ragamala Dance Company.” Interview. Hopkins Center for the Arts at
Dartmouth. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpvHgcIqxm8“Teaching and learning guide for: ‘Compassion without pity: Buddhist Dāna as
charity, humanitarianism, and altruism’” Religion Compass 14 (9): 1–4. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1111/rec3.12374“‘No Mud, No Lotus’: Experiencing Great Pines Monastery through Edward Soja’s
Thirdspace.” Article. Material Religions Blog. 25 January 2017. Web.
“Advent: Waiting on Bamboo.” Article. Reconciling Ministries Network (Winter). Web.
“Purls of Wisdom: Needlework Ministry.” Article. Her Voice Magazine (Winter). Print.

Swenson C.V., 11
Creative Writing
2011 “Spring Paradox.” Poem. Lake Country Journal Magazine (March/April). Print.
2010 “The Nomad.” Short Story. Fire and Dust Bemidji State Literary Journal (Spring). Print.
2009 “Future Vend.” Short Story. The Roaring Muse UMD Student Art Journal (Fall). Print.