Associate Professor of Religious Studies

B.A. 1991 University of Vermont (Religion)
M.A. 1994 University of California, Santa Barbara (Religious Studies)
Ph.D. 1999 University of California, Santa Barbara (Religious Studies)

Telephone: (417) 836-4147
Email: StephenBerkwitz@MissouriState.edu

I specialize in historical and contemporary studies of Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka, and I am particularly interested in the role of Buddhist literature in the formation of identities and cultures. My interest in Religious Studies stems from my love of travel and of reading texts in their original languages.

Currently I am working on a number of research projects. These include a study of Sinhala Buddhist poetry during the period of Portuguese colonialism in Sri Lanka (1506-1658). This research reflects my interest in investigating the complex ways that literary expressions and cultural forms enable people to negotiate historical periods when Buddhist institutions have come under stress. My other current research involves Buddhist responses to Christian missions, the erotic sentiment in Sinhala poetry, and the Portuguese discovery of Buddhism.  I have published five books, the most recent of which is South Asian Buddhism: A Survey (Routledge, 2009).

I was born and raised in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, where I channeled an early interest in Asian religions into a Religion major at the University of Vermont. I did my M.A. and Ph.D. in Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Then I joined the faculty in the Department of Religious Studies at Missouri State University in 1999. I serve as Series Editor of Routledge Critical Studies in Buddhism and Book Review Editor for the journal Religion. I am also a faculty advisor for the Association of International Students at Missouri State University.

Curriculum Vitae

Courses

• REL 210 Paths of World Religions
• REL 355 Buddhism
• REL 397 Religions of China and Japan
• REL 540 Topics in the History of Religions: Religion and Colonialism
• REL 540 Topics in the History of Religions: Buddhism in the Modern World
• REL 711 Seminar in South Asian Religions