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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

South Korea Seeks Favorable U.S. Tariff Terms on Memory Chip Imports

South Korea is moving to secure favorable treatment from the United States on tariffs affecting memory chip imports, following recent trade actions announced by the U.S. government. A spokesperson from South Koreas...

Russia Stocks End Mixed as MOEX Index Closes Flat Amid Commodity and Currency Moves

Russian stocks finished the latest trading session mixed after the close on Saturday, as gains in select blue-chip shares were offset by declines in energy and technology names. By the end of trading in Moscow, the MOEX...

EU Ambassadors Hold Emergency Talks as Trump Threatens Tariffs Over Greenland Dispute

Ambassadors from the European Unions 27 member states are set to gather on Sunday for an emergency meeting following escalating tensions with the United States, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a new wave of...

Macron Warns EU Will Respond to U.S. Tariff Threats Over Greenland

French President Emmanuel Macron has strongly criticized recent tariff threats reportedly made by U.S. President Donald Trump concerning Greenland, warning that Europe will not tolerate economic intimidation and will...

Trump Administration Pushes Rollback of Vehicle Emissions Rules to Lower Car Prices

Senior officials from the Trump administration are promoting major changes to U.S. auto policy, arguing that rolling back vehicle emissions regulations will help lower car prices and address affordability concerns for...

Politics

Pentagon Prepares Troops for Possible Minnesota Deployment Amid Deportation Protests

The Pentagon has placed roughly 1,500 active-duty U.S. Army soldiers on prepare-to-deploy status amid escalating protests in Minnesota linked to the federal governments immigration enforcement campaign, according to U.S....

Pedro Sánchez Warns U.S. Greenland Move Could Undermine NATO and Benefit Russia

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has warned that any attempt by the United States to invade or forcibly acquire Greenland would seriously damage NATO unity and ultimately benefit Russian President Vladimir...

U.S. Military Kills Al Qaeda-Linked Leader Connected to Deadly ISIS Attack in Syria

U.S. military forces have killed a senior al Qaeda affiliate leader in Syria who was directly linked to a recent Islamic State (ISIS) attack that targeted American personnel, according to a statement released by U.S....

JD Vance to Lead U.S. Presidential Delegation at Milano Cortina Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony

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DOJ Urges Judge to Block Lawmakers’ Bid for Special Master in Jeffrey Epstein Records Case

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Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

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Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

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Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

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Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

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NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

South Korea Sees Limited Impact From New U.S. Tariffs on Advanced AI Chips

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Elon Musk Seeks $134 Billion in Lawsuit Against OpenAI and Microsoft Over Alleged Wrongful Gains

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China Halts Shipments of Nvidia H200 AI Chips, Forcing Suppliers to Pause Production

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California Attorney General Orders xAI to Halt Illegal Grok Deepfake Imagery

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TikTok Expands AI Age-Detection Technology Across Europe Amid Rising Regulatory Pressure

TikTok is set to roll out new age-detection technology across Europe in the coming weeks, as the popular social media platform faces increasing regulatory scrutiny over child safety and age verification. The move follows a...