Stuart Chandler obtained his Ph.D. in comparative religion from Harvard University in the spring of 2000 and joined IUP’s faculty that fall. His area of concentration is the religions of China and Japan, especially Buddhism. Dr. Chandler’s book Establishing a Pureland on Earth: The Foguang Buddhist Perspectives on Modernization and Globalization was published by University of Hawaii Press in 2004. He has written numerous articles, chapters, and encyclopedia entries. Some of his more recent works include “The Dimensions of Contemporary Chinese Buddhism ” (Buddhism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives, edited by Stephen C. Berkwitz, ABC-CLIO, 2005), “Foguangshan” (Encyclopedia of Religion, second edition, edited by Lindsay Jones, Macmillan, 2005), and “Spreading Buddha’s Light: The Internationalization of Foguang Shan” (Buddhist Missionaries in the Era of Globalization, edited by Linda Learman, University of Hawaii Press, 2004).
In addition to studying Chinese Buddhism, Dr. Chandler conducts research on the evolving religious landscape of Pennsylvania. He has served as the director of the Center for the Study of Religion in Pennsylvania (CSRP) since its founding in 2002. The most important project undertaken by this center thus far was an exhibit entitled "Eastern Religions Come to Western Pennsylvania," which has been shown in the Sutton Hall Museum (IUP; 2005), Weyers-Sampson Gallery (Thiel College; 2006), and Glencairn Museum (2007-2008). This exhibit focused on the Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, and Sikh traditions, especially their practice in the Pittsburgh region.
Dr. Chandler’s current projects include the creation of a website for CSRP and the translation of the memoirs of a woman by the name of Oishi Junkyo, who was a geisha, artist, and Buddhist nun in early twentieth-century Japan.
Courses regularly taught by Dr. Chandler include World Religions, Introduction to Religion, Buddhist Thought atnd Practice, Religions of China and Japan.