Prof. Meir Shahar
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Meir Shahar, Ph.D (Harvard University) Associate Professor Department of East Asian Studies Tel Aviv University P.O.Box 39040 Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978 ISRAEL Director, Tel Aviv University Confucius Institute Phone: 972-3-6405952Fax: 972-3-6405950 Email: mshahar@post.tau.ac.il |
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פרופסור מאיר שחר החוג ללימודי מזרח אסיה אוניברסיטת תל אביב טלפון: 03-6405952 פקס: 03-6405950 דוא"ל: mshahar@post.tau.ac.il |
Biography
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I was born in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1959. After receiving my undergraduate degree from the Hebrew University, Jerusaelm, I studied Chinese in Taipei. I went on to pursue graduate studies in the United States, and I received my PhD in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University in 1992.
I have taught at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and I am currently Associate Professor of Chinese Studies at the Department of East Asian Studies, Tel Aviv University. In addition I am the director of the Tel Aviv University Confucius Institute.
Research
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My research focuses on the interplay of Chinese religion, Chinese literature, and - in my most recent publications - the Chinese martial arts. In my "The Lingyin si Monkey Disciples and the Origins of Sun Wukong" (Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies (1992)), I offered a novel hypothesis on the origins of the Journey to the West's simian protagonist, and in my Crazy Ji: Chinese Religion and Popular Literature (Harvard University Asia Center, 1998) I examined the role of fiction and drama in spreading the cult of one of the most colorful Chinese deities: Jigong. In my The Shaolin Monastery; History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts (University of Hawai'i Press, 2008) I analyzed the history of the Shaolin fighting-tradition; I outlined the evolution of the Chinese martial arts; and I explored the martial arts' interplay with China's diverse religious traditions: Buddhism, Daoism, and the Popular Religion.
My growing interest in the impact of Indian mythology on the Chinese supernatural is reflected in a forthcoming conference volume coedited with John Kieschnick and tilted Under the Spell of India: Buddhism and the Formation of Medieval Chinese Culture.
I am currently engaged in two research projects: One on the legend and cult of the Chinese oedipal deity Nezha (Nalakubara); the other on the history and lore of the Southern Shaolin Temple in Fujian. The former project is supported by the Israel Science Foundation, the latter benefits from a Chiang Ching-Kuo Fellowship.
Publications
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Click here to view a list of my publications