Nan Kathy Lin
Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
Nan Kathy Lin holds a Ph.D. from Georgetown University in theological and religious studies, an MTS from Harvard Divinity School in Buddhist studies, and an AB from Harvard College in social studies. Previously Lin taught at Oberlin College in the area of religious ethics and critical thought. Her research falls under the umbrella of religion and ecology, with focal interests in Buddhism, environmentalism, theories and methods in the study of religion, and moral philosophy informed by ordinary language philosophy. Lin’s book project considers the phenomenon of religious change in the movement of Buddhist ideas and practices across time and place, with a focus on the Buddhist environmentalist movement of the past century. At Hamilton, Lin will teach courses on religion and ecology, with an eye towards theoretical issues in the study of religion.
Recent Courses Taught
Biographies of the Holy
Animals and Religion
Research Interests
East Asian Buddhism, environmentalism, theories and methods in the study of religion, moral philosophy informed by ordinary language philosophy
Selected Publications
Book Project (In Preparation)
- Religious Change as Seen Through Buddhist Environmentalism, under revision with AAR Academy Series
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- “H.H. Kung and Multiple Religious Belonging: Christian-Confucian-Buddhist Interfaith Encounters in the Early 20th Century.” Buddhist-Christian Studies. Forthcoming, 2025.
- “Buddhist Environmentalism as Seen Through Religious Change.” In “The Question of Buddhist Environmentalism,” special issue, Religions vol. 13, no. 12 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13121191
Invited Publications
- “Buddhist Nuns of 4th-6th Century China.” Database of Religious History (2022). Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia. https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0423228
Book Reviews
- Review of The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Religion and Ecology, ed. John Hart. Journal of Jewish Ethics 4, no. 2 (2018): 198-202. https://doi.org/10.5325/jjewiethi.4.2.0198
Professional Affiliations
- American Academy of Religion
- American Philosophical Association
- Association for Asian Studies
Appointed to the Faculty
2025Educational Background
Ph.D., Georgetown University
M.T.S., Harvard Divinity School
M.B.A., MIT Sloan School of Management
A.B., Harvard College
