Cuilan Liu published a new book on religion and law in China

Cuilan Liu, assistant professor of religious studies in Pitt’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, has published “Buddhism in Court: Religion, Law, and Jurisdiction in China” (Oxford University Press). The book focuses on a long-overlooked campaign for Buddhist monks and nuns to receive clerical legal privileges that aim to exempt them from being tried and punished in the courtroom.

The publication also discusses how this campaign, which started more than 2,000 years ago in India, continued in China from the fourth century to the present day. 

Liu received her PhD in South Asian studies at Harvard University and joined Pitt’s Department of Religious Studies in 2019. Her research focuses on the intersection of Buddhism and the law in China, Tibet and India.