Yet another sign of growing interest and influence of Buddhism in North America is the production of an academic journal called Buddhism, Law and Society. The editor explains the journal's focus this way: "Buddhism, Law & Society is the first interdisciplinary academic journal to focus on the relationship between Buddhism, law, and society. Buddhism and its many social and legal manifestations are a central area of interest for the journal, as are the state's legal relations to Buddhist actors, institutions, and texts."
The journal editor Dr. Rebecca French who received her B.A. from the University of Michigan, her J.D. from the University of Washington and her LL.M. and Ph.D. in legal anthropology from Yale University. Her work is situated at the intersections of law, anthropology, legal theory, religious studies and Buddhist legal systems. Her four years of field research in Tibet and India resulted in the first study of the Dalai Lama’s pre-1960 legal system. She has worked with Tibetans and Indonesians on immigration and cultural issues and has delivered public lectures for Amnesty International, the Tibetan Conference, the International Association of Tibetan Studies, Tibet House and others.
Dr. French says the "premise of this journal is that Buddhism affected the political and legal structures of the countries where it was practiced over the past 2,500 years and the countries where it is currently practiced. At the same time, the political and legal systems of those Asian countries also regulated and exerted control over Buddhist sanctuaries and Buddhist practitioners within their jurisdictions and often still do."
The journal editor Dr. Rebecca French who received her B.A. from the University of Michigan, her J.D. from the University of Washington and her LL.M. and Ph.D. in legal anthropology from Yale University. Her work is situated at the intersections of law, anthropology, legal theory, religious studies and Buddhist legal systems. Her four years of field research in Tibet and India resulted in the first study of the Dalai Lama’s pre-1960 legal system. She has worked with Tibetans and Indonesians on immigration and cultural issues and has delivered public lectures for Amnesty International, the Tibetan Conference, the International Association of Tibetan Studies, Tibet House and others.
Dr. French says the "premise of this journal is that Buddhism affected the political and legal structures of the countries where it was practiced over the past 2,500 years and the countries where it is currently practiced. At the same time, the political and legal systems of those Asian countries also regulated and exerted control over Buddhist sanctuaries and Buddhist practitioners within their jurisdictions and often still do."
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