New Books Network

About Alex Carroll

NBN Episodes hosted by Alex:

Literary Studies April 2, 2020

From the Fifty Jātaka

Selections from the Thai Paññāsa Jātaka

Dr. Chris Baker and Prof. Pasuk Phongpaichit

Hosted by Alex Carroll
The Jātaka tales, or stories of the Buddha’s previous lives as a bodhisatta, are included in the Pāli Canon and have for centuries been a rich source of inspiration in …
South Asian Studies January 16, 2020

Lives of Early Buddhist Nuns

Biographies as History

Dr. Alice Collett

Hosted by Alex Carroll
Dr. Alice Collett’s monograph Lives of Early Buddhist Nuns: Biographies as History (Oxford University Press, 2016) delves into the lives of six of the best-known nuns from the period of …
Critical Theory September 18, 2019

McMindfulness

How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality

Ronald E. Purser

Hosted by Alex Carroll
In his recent exposé, McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality (Repeater Books, 2019), Ronald Purser Ph.D. takes a hard look at the mindfulness movement that has taken society …
Southeast Asian Studies August 12, 2019

Remembering the Present

Mindfulness in Buddhist Asia

Julia Cassaniti

Hosted by Alex Carroll
How do you understand mindfulness? Is your understanding limited by your own culture’s definition of what mindfulness is? These are some of the questions you will ask yourself while reading …
East Asian Studies August 5, 2019

Guardians of the Buddha’s Home

Domestic Religion in Contemporary Jōdo Shinshū

Jessica Starling

Hosted by Alex Carroll
In her recent ethnography, Guardians of the Buddha’s Home: Domestic Religion in Contemporary Jōdo Shinshū (University of Hawaii Press, 2019), Prof. Jessica Starling invites us into the daily lives of …
East Asian Studies May 9, 2019

Morality and Monastic Revival in Post-Mao Tibet

Jane Caple

Hosted by Alex Carroll
In this podcast, I speak with Prof. Jane Caple about her recently published book, Morality and Monastic Revival in Post-Mao Tibet (University of Hawaii Press, 2019). The revival of mass …
South Asian Studies April 1, 2019

Rebirth in Early Buddhism and Current Research

Bhikkhu Anālayo

Hosted by Alex Carroll
In today’s podcast, I speak with German professor and Buddhist monk Bhikkhu Anālayo at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies about his book Rebirth in Early Buddhism and Current Research …
Buddhist Studies March 26, 2019

Prescribing the Dharma

Psychotherapists, Buddhist Traditions, and Defining Religion

Ira Helderman

Hosted by Alex Carroll
In today's podcast, I speak with Ira Helderman about his newly published book, Prescribing the Dharma: Psychotherapists, Buddhist Traditions, and Defining Religion (University of North Carolina Press, 2019) which surveys …
Literary Studies March 1, 2019

The Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhāra

An Introduction with Selected Translation

Richard Salomon

Hosted by Alex Carroll
In this episode of New Books in Buddhist Studies, Dr. Richard Salomon speaks about his book The Buddhist Literature of Ancient Gandhāra: An Introduction with Selected Translation (Wisdom Publications, 2018) …
American Studies February 18, 2019

American Sutra

A Story of Faith and Freedom in the Second World War

Duncan Ryūken Williams

Hosted by Alex Carroll
In American Sutra: A Story of Faith and Freedom in the Second World War (Harvard University Press, 2019), Duncan Ryūken Williams recenters the role of faith in the Japanese-American experience …
Literary Studies February 6, 2019

Buddhism and Pali

Richard Gombrich

Hosted by Alex Carroll
Richard Gombrich's new book, Buddhism and Pali (Mud Pie Slices, 2018), puts the richness of the Pali language on display. He introduces the reader to the origins of Pali, its …