Abigail MacBain

Field: East Asian Religion
Advisors: Michael Como & Bernard Faure
Email: aim2121@columbia.edu

Abigail is working toward a PhD focused on early Japanese religion and history. She began her studies at St. Lawrence University (BA, 2004), where she developed an honor’s thesis on Shinto-Buddhist syncretic themes in the Jinno Shotoki. After a two-year period teaching English in northern Japan, she continued her studies at McMaster University (MA, 2008). While there, she developed a particular interest in researching Buddhism in mainland Asia and examining the various political and cultural influences that accompanied its entry and acceptance in Japan. Her master’s thesis focused on early Japan’s Buddhist national protection temples and sutras. It also considered similar systems developed by other Asian rulers, whose examples the Japanese court may have been copying. Prior to entering Columbia in 2013, she worked for four years at the Consulate General of Japan in Miami, FL.