Matt Wilhite

Area: Religion and Culture in Asia Field of Concentration: Chinese and Japanese Religions Advisor: Morten Schlütter Education: University of Iowa, M.A. in Religious Studies, May 2007 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A. with Honors in Religious Studies, May 2002 Dissertation Focus: An examination of the interactions between Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) China as they pertain to Buddhist justifications for participation in violence (wars of aggression, wars of defense, and violence on behalf of the civil authorities during peacetime). In particular, I am focusing my research on Yunqi Zhuhong (1535-1615), an influential Buddhist monk of the Ming Dynasty. Research Interests: The synthesis of Chan and Pure Land Buddhism in post-Tang China; The divergence of the Japanese Pure Land tradition from its Chinese origins; Modernization and Modernity in Imperial China; Theories of Modernity and the misnomer of “Post-Modernity”. Languages: Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Classical Chinese, Literary Chinese Biography: I was born and raised in the idyllic suburbs of Wilmington, Delaware. At the tender age of thirteen, my family moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. This experience imbued me with a deep curiosity about and reverence of cultural and religious differences among geographical regions. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I was deeply influenced by courses in Religious Studies. In particular, Yaakov Ariel, Zlatko Plese, Lance Lazar, and James Sanford inspired me to pursue the academic study of religion as my life’s vocation. In 2005 I returned to academic life and moved to Iowa City to pursue a Master’s degree. In 2007 I was granted my Master’s and began my work on my PhD here at the University of Iowa. I have worked both as a Research Assistant and as a Teaching Assistant during my time here. In particular, I have worked as a Teaching Assistant in The Judeo-Christian Tradition, Asian Humanities: Japan, Introduction to Buddhism, and Chinese Religions. When not in class or teaching, I enjoy crosswords, Sudoku, video games, and occasionally composing the odd piece of music for the viola da gamba.