REL 252(S) The Tao in the Body: An Introduction to East Asian Religions*

The course deals with the ways in which the body was problematized in premodern China and Japan. The religious and philosophical traditions of East Asia, in particular Taoism, Confucianism, and Tantric Buddhism, developed a wealth of doctrines, rituals, and techniques related to the body as a major locus of self-cultivation and salvation. Their study enables us to understand important features of East Asian religions and cultures, such as those of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, as well as certain offshoots of Chinese visions and practices of the body that have become popular also in the West, from acupuncture to the "Tao of sex". Sources on the body in East Asia belong to a number of often incommensurable discourses. In the course, we will also address two areas, medicine and sexuality, which cannot be completely reduced to religious-philosophical systems. An historical overview of Chinese medicine from the standpoint of intellectual history will provide us with an understanding of the basic conceptual tools (ideas, metaphors, philosophies and cosmologies, techniques) developed by the Chinese in order to deal with the human body. An examination of the Chinese discourse on sexuality gives us a perspective on gender issues, culturally defined functions of the body, and the place of sex within society. It also helps us to question vulgar stereotypes about East Asian cultures. In the final part of the course we will consider the status of women in traditional East Asian religious and philosophical systems, also as a way to summarize the content of the course from the perspective of marginalized subjects. Requirements: 5- to 7-page midterm test, 10-page research paper, and a take-home exam. No prerequisites.

Hour: RAMBELLI