Encounters and Creativity: The Terminology, Philosophy and Discourses in Chinese Buddhism and their modern Transformations

Workshop:

Encounters and Creativity: The Terminology, Philosophy and Discourses in Chinese Buddhism and their modern Transformations

 

Time and location:

June 15–17, 2026 | Heyne Haus, University of Göttingen

Overview:

This workshop explores the transformations of Buddhist concepts, ideas, and discourses in China within the broader context of long-term intercultural encounters and intellectual change since the seventeenth century. From the introduction of Christianity and new technologies to the rise of modern science and so-called “Western” intellectual trends, China’s religious and intellectual history has been shaped through continuous interactions across regional and national boundaries. Within these processes, Buddhism played a significant yet often underappreciated role as a medium of conceptual innovation, cultural exchange, and political engagement.

Rather than treating concepts and discourses as fixed categories, this workshop approaches them as entry points for examining how Buddhist thinkers, institutions, and communities rearticulated ideas, reshaped language, and responded strategically and creatively to changing political, social, and intellectual conditions. Participants are invited to engage with these issues from diverse methodological and disciplinary perspectives.

The workshop understands “modern transformation” not as a singular rupture, but as a complex and ongoing process involving continuities as well as changes across different temporal and spatial dimensions. It therefore encourages discussion beyond simple distinctions between “premodern” and “modern,” while also considering regional, transregional, and global contexts.

 

Participants:

Danica Cao (University of Chicago)

Huaiyu Chen (Arizona State University)

Marino Davide (University of Göttingen)

Richard Ellguth (Free University of Berlin)

Talia Kav (University of Hamburg)

Jan Kiely (Geneva Graduate Institute)

Carsten Krause (University of Hamburg)

Rongdao Lai (McGill University)

Jingjing Li (Leiden University)

Wushi Lin (Ghent University)

Zhenguo Lin (National Chengchi University)

Christian Meyer (Free University of Berlin)

Amandine Peronnet (National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations)

Qinqin Peng (University of Göttingen)

Jens Reinke (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

Justin Ritzinger (University of Miami)

Axel Schneider (University of Göttingen)

Miaoxiang Shi (Fo-Guang-Shan-Tempel, Berlin)

Yongchao Shi (Fo-Guang-Shan-Tempel, Berlin)

Shiyu Su (Leipzig University)

Francesca Tarocco (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice)

Yuan Yan (Independent Scholar)

Jakub Zamorski (Jagiellonian University)

Ziyi Zhu (University of Göttingen)

 

Organizers and Sponsors：

 Organized by Ziyi Zhu (M.A.) and Dr. Qinqin Peng (University of Göttingen)

Advised by Prof. Dr. Axel Schneider (University of Göttingen) and Prof. Dr. Eyal Aviv (The George Washington University)

Co-sponsored by the Department of East Asian Studies and Confucius Academic Institute,

University of Göttingen.