After obtaining a BA in Sinology at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, I attained a MA degree in Philosophy and Ethics of Relationship at the University of Perugia along with a second MA degree in Religious Studies at Fu Jen University. Afterward, I spent one academic year at the Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies as a post-MA intern. My current Ph.D. research, funded by the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO), is titled: “Legitimizing Buddhism through the Body: On Robe, Posture and Tonsure in Early Medieval China's Buddhist Communities” (2022-2026).
My interests include the history of Chinese Buddhism during the period of division (220-589) with a focus on apologetic literature, material culture, monastic regulations, and bodily issues. The focus of my research lies in the analysis of the several implications (both social and philosophical) raised by the discussions of certain bodily habits between monastics and secular society. Inevitably, my investigation also encompasses the study of Chinese philosophy as developed in the Warring States period (481-221 B.C) up to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.).
TALKS AND CONFERENCES
- 13 August 2025: “Debates and Social Perceptions of Śramaṇas’ Bodily Gestures in Early Medieval China”. Talk at the 20th IABS (International Association of Buddhist Studies) at Leipzig University.
- 4 April 2025: “Clashes of Cultures: Buddhism from India to China” Talk at Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi (Department of Indian-Arab Cultures).
- 28 August 2024: “Why Did Śramaṇas Take the Tonsure? Perceptions and Symbolism of the Shaven Head in Ancient and Early Medieval China” Talk at the 25th EACS (Biennial Conference of the European Association of Chinese Studies) at Tallinn University.
- 20 April 2024: “Chinese Temples in Bangkok: On-Field Observations”. Talk at the online conference “From the Ground to the Cloud: Insights from Seven Years of Fieldwork, Training, and Data Collection”.
- 11 November 2023: “How to Treat a Dead Body: The Introduction of Buddhist Funerary Practices in Six Dynasties' (220-589) China”. Talk at the DRGPA 2023 Conference (Documenting and Researching Gravesites in Pacific Asia) at National Kaohsiung University.
- 17 June 2023: “Propagating Buddhist Customs through the Classics: Discursive Strategies on Bodily Issues Controversies”. Talk at the 4th Biennal Conference of the European Association for Chinese Philosophy (EACP) at Macerata University.
- 24 November 2022: “Legitimizing Buddhism in Early Medieval China: The Robe as a Marker of Identity". Invited Lecture at the University of Perugia.
