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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

Mexico-EU Free Trade Deal Signals Strategic Shift Away From U.S. Dependence

Mexico and the European Union officially signed a long-delayed free trade agreement aimed at strengthening economic ties and reducing reliance on the United States amid ongoing tariff tensions linked to U.S. President...

World Bank Emergency Funding Demand Surges as 27 Countries Seek Crisis Support Amid Iran Conflict

Twenty-seven countries have moved to unlock emergency financing from existing World Bank programs following the economic shock caused by the ongoing Iran conflict, according to an internal document reviewed by Reuters. The...

Trump-China Summit Yields Limited Progress on Trade and Tech Cooperation

US President Donald Trumps May 1315 visit to China ended with both nations agreeing to strengthen communication and pursue a constructive strategic stability framework, signaling cautious progress in US-China relations....

US Economy Fueled by AI Investment Faces Rising Risks Ahead of Fed Meeting

The U.S. economy continues to outperform most developed nations, supported by resilient consumer spending and a sharp rise in artificial intelligence investment, according to new institutional research from Citi. Recent...

Goldman Sachs Sees Stronger U.S. Dollar as Global Economic Gaps Widen

Goldman Sachs expects the U.S. Dollar to remain strong as diverging global macroeconomic trends continue to favor the American economy over other major regions. In its latest global research report released Friday, the...

Politics

Trump Weighs Taiwan Arms Deal as U.S. Denies Iran War Caused Delays

A source familiar with the matter said U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are not being delayed because of the ongoing conflict with Iran, pushing back against comments from a senior American official that suggested otherwise. The...

Trump-Lai Call Remains Uncertain as U.S.-China Tensions Over Taiwan Intensify

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly suggested he may soon speak with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, but sources familiar with the matter say no concrete plans for a call currently exist. A direct conversation...

Marco Rubio Visits India to Rebuild U.S.-India Ties Amid Trade and Geopolitical Tensions

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in India on Saturday for a four-day diplomatic visit aimed at strengthening the increasingly strained U.S.-India relationship. The visit comes as both countries attempt to move...

Xi Jinping Orders Full Rescue After Shanxi Coal Mine Gas Explosion Kills Eight

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered an all-out rescue operation after a deadly gas explosion struck a coal mine in northern Chinas Shanxi province, leaving eight workers dead and 38 others trapped underground. The...

Wang Yi to Lead UN Security Council Meeting and Visit Canada Amid Improving China-Canada Relations

Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi is set to travel to New York on May 26 to chair a high-level United Nations Security Council meeting, according to an announcement from Chinas foreign ministry on Friday. The diplomatic trip...

Science

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...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

Technology

SpaceX Starship V3 Test Flight Boosts IPO Momentum Ahead of Historic Market Debut

SpaceX successfully completed a major test flight of its upgraded Starship V3 rocket, marking a significant achievement for Elon Musks aerospace company as it moves closer to a highly anticipated initial public offering....

PDG Explores $1 Billion Sale of China Data Center Assets

Princeton Digital Group (PDG), a major data center operator backed by private equity firm Warburg Pincus, has reportedly launched a sale process for its China-based assets that could be valued at as much as $1 billion,...

Lam Research Expands AI-Powered Semiconductor Tools and Arizona Operations

Lam Research is accelerating its investment in artificial intelligence and advanced sensing technology to improve semiconductor manufacturing efficiency while expanding its presence in Arizona and California. The...

Texas Sues Meta Over WhatsApp Encryption Claims

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms and its messaging service WhatsApp, accusing the companies of misleading consumers about WhatsApps encryption and privacy protections. The...

Pentagon Expands AI Model Testing as It Seeks Alternatives to Anthropic’s Claude

The US Department of Defense is accelerating its evaluation of artificial intelligence models as it searches for alternatives to Anthropic PBCs Claude AI system, according to a Bloomberg report published Thursday. The...