Benjamin Brose
· Professor of Buddhist and Chinese StudiesUniversity of Michigan · East Asian Languages and Cultures
Active 2012–2023
About
Benjamin Brose is a Professor of Buddhist and Chinese Studies at the University of Michigan, specializing in the history of religion in China with a particular focus on Buddhism. His research encompasses the histories, doctrines, and practices of Chan Buddhism, transregional Buddhist exchange, the confluence of narrative and ritual, relics, pilgrimage, eremeticism, hagiography, autobiography, popular religion, and the transmission of Buddhism to the United States. His current research is centered on the cultural history of Chinese Buddhism from the late nineteenth through the mid-twentieth century. Brose's work has been supported by numerous foundations including the Dan David Prize, the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the Fulbright Foundation, and others. At the University of Michigan, he teaches a variety of courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels, covering topics such as Introduction to Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, popular religion in China, Buddhism and death, and Buddhism in America. He is on research leave until the fall of 2026.
Research topics
- Psychology
- Archaeology
- History
- Visual arts
- Paleontology
- Literature
- Aesthetics
- Genealogy
- Ancient history
- Geology
- Philosophy
- Art
Selected publications
University of Hawaii Press eBooks · 2023-09-25
book1st authorCorresponding2023
1st authorCorresponding- Psychology
Inner Asia · 2022
1st authorCorresponding- Ancient history
- History
- Genealogy
Monumenta Serica · 2020 · 6 citations
1st authorCorresponding- History
- Literature
- Aesthetics
This article challenges common assumptions about the history and function of the classic Chinese novel the Xiyou ji, arguing that it served an important ritual and liturgical function before and after it was reconceived as a work of secular literature. The novel is considered from two related perspectives. The first is the early history of its European and North American translations. Arthur Waley’s celebrated abridgment marked an important turning point in a long tradition of interpreting the novel for a Western audience. Prior to Waley, most translators remarked – with either curiosity or exasperation – on the novel’s influence on popular religious practice and belief. Following Waley, however, the novel was consistently portrayed as a work of fiction, and its religious imagery was downplayed or dismissed as inconsequential. The second perspective explored here is that of late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Chinese reformers who sought to enlist the Xiyou ji in their vision of a new, modern, and secular China. The efforts of these intellectuals and officials, influenced to a degree by Western missionaries and scholars, effectively transformed the Xiyou ji into work of secular, entertaining fiction.
The Pig and the Prostitute: The Cult of Zhu Bajie in Modern Taiwan
Journal of Chinese Religions · 2018-11-01
article1st authorCorrespondingBefore the publication of the famous Chinese novel The Journey to the West, the central characters of the narrative—the Tang Monk, the monkey Sun Wukong, the pig Zhu Bajie, and the monk Sha—were venerated as deities. These same figures continue to be invoked today in a range of rituals throughout the Chinese world. This article focuses on the cult of Zhu Bajie in modern Taiwan. As a “licentious” spirit known for his voracious appetite and irrepressible libido, Zhu Bajie has attracted devotees from among Taiwan’s “special professions,” namely masseuses, hostesses, and sex workers. Unable to turn to conventional, ethically demanding deities for assistance, purveyors of illicit goods and services make offerings to spirits like Zhu Bajie who they hope will be more sympathetic to their needs. In this way, Zhu Bajie, a figure familiar from children’s books, cartoons, and blockbuster movies, has also become a patron saint of prostitutes.
The Pig and the Prostitute: The Cult of Zhu Bajie in Modern Taiwan
Journal of Chinese Religions · 2018-07-03 · 1 citations
article1st authorCorrespondingBefore the publication of the famous Chinese novel The Journey to the West, the central characters of the narrative—the Tang Monk, the monkey Sun Wukong, the pig Zhu Bajie, and the monk Sha—were venerated as deities. These same figures continue to be invoked today in a range of rituals throughout the Chinese world. This article focuses on the cult of Zhu Bajie in modern Taiwan. As a “licentious” spirit known for his voracious appetite and irrepressible libido, Zhu Bajie has attracted devotees from among Taiwan’s “special professions,” namely masseuses, hostesses, and sex workers. Unable to turn to conventional, ethically demanding deities for assistance, purveyors of illicit goods and services make offerings to spirits like Zhu Bajie who they hope will be more sympathetic to their needs. In this way, Zhu Bajie, a figure familiar from children’s books, cartoons, and blockbuster movies, has also become a patron saint of prostitutes.
5. Heirs and Ancestors: The Kingdom of Wuyue
University of Hawaii Press eBooks · 2017-12-31
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingAppendix 4. Buddhist Texts Printed in the Kingdom of Wuyue
University of Hawaii Press eBooks · 2017-12-31
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingAppendix 3. Names and Reign Dates for the Rulers of Northern Dynasties
University of Hawaii Press eBooks · 2017-12-31
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingJournal of Religion in Japan · 2017-01-01
article1st authorCorresponding
Awards & honors
- Dan David Prize
- John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
- Fulbright Foundation
- American Council of Learned Societies
- Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
- Resume-aware match score
- Save to shortlist
- AI-drafted outreach
See your match with Benjamin Brose
PhdFit ranks faculty by your research interests, methods, and publications — grounded in their actual work, not templates.
- Free to start
- No credit card
- 30-second signup