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Alessandro Poletto

Lecturer in East Asian Religions, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis
Alessandro Poletto (he/they) specializes in the social and religious history of premodern Japan, with an emphasis on Buddhism in the early medieval period (tenth to the thirteenth century). He earned his PhD from Columbia University in 2020 with a dissertation entitled “The Culture of Healing in Early Medieval Japan: A Study in Premodern Epistemology,” in which he examined discourses and practices concerning healing and disease, with particular attention to the relationship between Buddhist healers and other technicians involved in the treatment of illness, namely court physicians and onmyōji. His other research and teaching interests include the understanding and ritual resolution of natural disasters in premodern East Asia, the history of the cultural exchanges between the Korean peninsula and the Japanese archipelago, and Buddhist material culture and archeology in East Asia.

His current research focuses on the material and textual dimensions of various types of deposits — within statues or under the ground — in order to get a grasp of Buddhism as practiced by lay Buddhists in early medieval Japan. Dedicatory or votive materials discovered inside Buddhist statues or in underground deposits (commonly known as kyōzuka) illustrate the motivations behind the undertaking of a certain burial of sutras, or the production of a copy of a specific sutra, allowing us to see the hopes, aspirations and anxieties of the people engaging in such practices, but also the ways in which they attempted to shape their destinies, and those of deceased dear ones, through their dedicatory good acts.

Before joining Washington University, Alessandro was a JSPS postdoctoral fellow at Kyoto University. He holds a B.A. from the University of Naples “L’Orientale,” and an M.A. from Osaka University.

Economy

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Oil Prices Slip but End Two-Week Losing Streak as Middle East Tensions Persist in 2026

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Gold Prices Tumble as Strong U.S. Jobs Report Fuels Fed Rate Hike Expectations

Gold prices recorded a sharp decline on Friday and were set for a weekly loss after stronger-than-expected U.S. employment data increased expectations that the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates later in 2026. The...

US Dollar Hits Near Two-Month High as Strong Jobs Data and Middle East Tensions Boost Rate Hike Expectations

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US Stock Market Tumbles as Tech and Semiconductor Stocks Lead Massive Selloff

U.S. stocks suffered a sharp decline on Friday, ending Wall Streets impressive nine-week winning streak as technology and semiconductor shares experienced heavy selling pressure. The market downturn came after a...

Politics

Princess Anne’s Son Peter Phillips Marries Harriet Sperling at Royal Wedding in England

Peter Phillips, the eldest grandson of the late Queen Elizabeth II, married pediatric nurse Harriet Sperling in a private royal wedding ceremony attended by King Charles III and several senior members of the British royal...

US-Iran Conflict Escalates After Strait of Hormuz Drone Incident

The United States and Iran moved closer to a broader confrontation after U.S. forces struck Iranian coastal radar and surveillance facilities following the interception of drones near the Strait of Hormuz. According to...

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Russian Strikes Kill Five in Ukraine’s Kherson Region as Border Attacks Continue

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Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

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Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

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SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

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Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

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Technology

Bouygues, Orange and Iliad Strike €20.35 Billion Deal to Acquire SFR

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US Officials Explore AI Company Equity Stakes Ahead of OpenAI and Anthropic IPO Plans

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Jensen Huang Strengthens Nvidia’s South Korea Ties Amid AI Expansion

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