Jin Y. Park Director of Asian Studies and Professor Philosophy & Religion
- Additional Positions at AU
- Director, Asian Studies Program, CAS
- Degrees
- PhD, SUNY Stony Brook; MA, New York University; MA, Yonsei University; BA, Yonsei University (Seoul, Korea)
- Bio
- Jin Y. Park is Professor of Philosophy and Religion and Founding Director of Asian Studies Program at American University. Park's research areas include East Asian Buddhism (especially Zen and Huayan Buddhism), postmodernism, deconstruction, Buddhist ethics, Buddhist philosophy of religion, Buddhist-postmodern comparative philosophy, and modern East Asian philosophy. Park’s research in Buddhism focuses on the Zen and Huayan schools of East Asian Buddhism on language, violence, and ethics. In her comparative study, Park reads Zen and Huayan Buddhism together with postmodern thought in Continental philosophy, with a special focus on Jacques Derrida’s deconstruction. Park’s research on modern East Asian philosophy examines the dawn of philosophy in East Asia and the East-West encounter in this context. In her monograph Buddhism and Postmodernity: Zen, Huayan, and the Possibility of Buddhist-Postmodern Ethics (2008), Park discusses Buddhism and continental philosophy on the topics of, among others, self, language, and violence. In this book, Park offers the "ethics of tension" as a potential ethical paradigm drawn from Buddhism and postmodern philosophy. Reflections of a Zen Buddhist Nun (2014), is a translation of a book published in Korean in 1960 by Kim Iryŏp (1896-1971), a writer, first-generation Korean feminist, Buddhist nun, and philosopher. In this book, Kim Iryŏp offers a creative interpretation of Buddhist philosophy and practice. In Women and Buddhist Philosophy: Engaging Zen Master Kim Iryop (2017), Park proposes a new mode of philosophizing based on the discussion of Kim Iryŏp’s life and philosophy. Park is also the editor of volumes: Buddhisms and Deconstructions (2006), Merleau-Ponty and Buddhism (co-edited, 2009), Comparative Political Theory and Cross-Cultural Philosophy (2009), and Makers of Modern Korean Buddhism (2010).
- See Also
- Department of Philosophy and Religion
- For the Media
- To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.
Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities
Selected Publications
Books
- Women and Buddhist Philosophy: Engaging Zen Master Kim Iryop. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai`i Press, 2017.
- Reflections of a Zen Buddhist Nun: Essays by Zen Master Kim Iryop (trans). Honolulu, HI: University of Hawai`i Press, 2014.
- Makers of Modern Korean Buddhism (ed.). Albany: State University of New York Press, 2010.
- Merleau-Ponty and Buddhism (co-ed.). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2009.
- Comparative Political Theory and Cross-Cultural Philosophy (ed.). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2009.
- Buddhism and Postmodernity: Zen, Huayan, and the Possibility of Buddhist Postmodern Ethics. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2008.
- Buddhisms and Deconstructions (ed.). Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2006.
For Book Chapters and Journal Articles, see my Academia.edu.
Professional Services
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
- President (2018-2019), Society for Asian and Comaprative Philosophy
- President (2016-2019), North American Korean Philosophy Association
- Founding Director (2001- present), International Society for Buddhist Philosophy
- Editorial Board Member, Journal of Korean Religions
Grants and Sponsored Research
- Academy of Korean Studies, Laboratory for the Globalization of Korean Studies, Co-Researcher, on the project "Traces of Reason: The Korean Approach to Logic and Rationality and Its RElation to Buddhist Traditions from India and China"
- Mellon Fellowship
- American Academy of Religion Individual Research Grant
- Korea Foundation Advanced Research Grant
- Academy of Korean Studies, Translation of Korean Buddhism Grant
- Korea University, International Center for Korean Studies, Korean Studies Publication Series Grant