ACLS Hosts 2024 Early Career Buddhist Studies Retreat in Mexico City

ACLS hosted the ninth Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies Early Career Retreat in Mexico City from August 4-8, 2024. This annual event, which brings together scholars of Buddhism from around the globe, exemplifies our commitment to supporting scholars at every career stage, from graduate students working on their dissertations and recent PhDs preparing their first books, to senior scholars sharing reflections on their careers and changes in the field. Twenty participants travelled to Mexico City this year including fellows, mentors, and ACLS staff, where they were welcomed by faculty from El Colegio de México, Roberto Eduardo García Fernández, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Professor of Buddhist Studies, and Matías Chiappe Ippolito, Professor of Japanese Literature.

Hosted at El Colegio de México, which received a Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation New Professorship Grant in 2017, the event featured presentations from current Buddhism Public Scholars and intensive workshops on dissertation projects in progress, abstract writing, and manuscript development. Fellows were able to present their research and receive constructive and insightful feedback from the other participating fellows and mentors. Discussing each project through the lens of its potential contribution to the field of Buddhist Studies, the retreat demonstrated the many benefits of the workshop format for a field that operates across geographical, linguistic, and temporal divides.

Participants had the option to visit local sites in Mexico City, including a tour of the Museo Frida Kahlo, and enjoyed the opportunity for intellectual exchange across countries, disciplines, and areas of expertise.