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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

Australia Trade Balance Swings to Surprise Deficit as Imports Outpace Exports in May

Australia recorded an unexpected trade deficit in May after stronger import growth outpaced solid gains in exports, signaling a shift in the countrys trade performance and raising concerns about second-quarter economic...

US Stock Futures Hold Steady Ahead of June Jobs Report as Fed Rate Outlook Remains in Focus

U.S. stock index futures traded little changed late Wednesday after Wall Street ended a volatile session lower, as investors looked ahead to the closely watched June nonfarm payrolls report for fresh signals on the Federal...

Asian Stocks Slide as Chip Shares Tumble Ahead of Key U.S. Jobs Report

Asian stock markets fell sharply on Thursday as investors locked in profits from semiconductor stocks after a strong second quarter rally, while financial markets turned their attention to the upcoming U.S. nonfarm...

Gold Price Holds Above $4,000 as Fed Rate Hike Expectations and U.S. Jobs Data Weigh on Market

Gold prices steadied during early Asian trading on Thursday as investors awaited the release of the closely watched U.S. nonfarm payrolls report for fresh clues on the Federal Reserves next interest rate move. Despite a...

Oil Prices Slip as Iran Talks and Strong Supply Outlook Ease Market Concerns

Oil prices moved lower on Thursday as traders continued to evaluate easing geopolitical risks in the Middle East and growing confidence in global crude supplies. Improving expectations for oil exports from the Gulf region,...

Politics

Trump Administration to Launch Voluntary AI Standards for Frontier Models

The Trump administration is preparing to introduce a new set of voluntary standards for advanced artificial intelligence models as early as next week, according to a Financial Times report. The move is expected to provide...

JD Vance Criticizes Vatican on Immigration, Defends Trump Border Policies

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said he disagrees with the Vaticans position on immigration, calling some of its recent comments troubling after Pope Leo repeatedly criticized President Donald Trumps immigration policies and...

U.S. Military Expands Venezuela Earthquake Relief Mission as Troop Presence Tops 900

The United States has significantly expanded its military presence in Venezuela to support humanitarian relief efforts following last weeks devastating earthquakes, with more than 900 U.S. personnel now operating inside...

Ukraine Preparing for Possible Russian Offensive From Bryansk, Military Chief Says

Ukraine is preparing for a possible new Russian offensive from the countrys northern border, although a direct assault on Kyiv is considered unlikely, according to Ukraines top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi....

Trump Prioritizes Iran Diplomacy Over Military Action as Nuclear Talks Continue

President Donald Trump has decided to keep diplomatic negotiations with Iran on track for now, despite recently reviewing options for renewed large-scale military action, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

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

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Apple Eyes Chinese Memory Chips as AI Shortage Pressures iPhone Supply Chain

Apple Inc. is reportedly in advanced discussions to source memory chips from Chinese semiconductor makers ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) and Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC), as the company works to secure...

Meta Stock Jumps as AI Cloud Expansion Challenges AWS, Microsoft, and Google

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) surged 8.8% on Wednesday after a Bloomberg report revealed the company is preparing to enter the cloud infrastructure market by offering excess artificial intelligence (AI) computing capacity...

Anthropic Restores Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 After U.S. Lifts AI Export Controls

Anthropic announced late Tuesday that the U.S. government has lifted export restrictions on its Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 artificial intelligence models, allowing the company to begin restoring user access starting...

South Korea Alleges Google Abused Android App Store Dominance, Eyes Major Fine

South Koreas antitrust regulator has accused Alphabets Google of abusing its dominant position in the Android app marketplace, a move that could result in a significant financial penalty and new corrective measures if the...

Microsoft Reportedly Plans New Job Cuts Across Sales, Consulting, and Xbox

Microsoft is reportedly preparing another round of job cuts as the technology giant continues to reduce costs while increasing investment in artificial intelligence, according to a Business Insider report published...