We regularly spotlight members who are making waves in their departments, institutions, communities, or within AAR. If you would like to submit a member to be interviewed, please email communications@aarweb.org with the member’s name and a brief message on why they are a good candidate. Read more of our Member Spotlight interviews.
About Sara
Sara Ann Swenson (she/her) is an assistant professor in religion at Dartmouth College. She holds a Ph.D. in Religion from Syracuse University (2021), an M.A. in Comparative Religion from Iliff School of Theology (2012), and a B.A. in English from the University of Minnesota Duluth (2009). Swenson researches care and wellness in Vietnamese Buddhism. She teaches classes on compassion, religions of Southeast Asia, and the history of mindfulness. Her book Near Light We Shine: Buddhist Charity in Urban Vietnam (OUP, 2025) was published in the AAR-OUP Academy Series.
What is your area of expertise or field of study?
I research care and wellness in Vietnamese Buddhism. My first book Near Light We Shine: Buddhist Charity in Urban Vietnam (Oxford University Press, 2025) is an ethnography of religious volunteering in Ho Chi Minh City. These volunteer groups provided vital humanitarian aid like free meals for families in need, medicine for cancer patients, and bridge repairs for rural villages around the Mekong Delta. Buddhist charities are a major provider of social services in Vietnam, which means that countless lives rely on religious ethics of giving. My second book project, Happy, Healthy, and Free: Well-being in Vietnamese Buddhism considers how Buddhist healing practices like mindfulness, chanting, and exorcisms interface with biomedical healthcare industries in Vietnam. In both my scholarship and teaching, I pursue the question: “How do people care for others?”
Why did you get involved with AAR, and how is your work aligned?
My first AAR meeting in 2013 was like visiting wonderland – the conference was a magic place where I could meet scholars whose books I admired, connect with new friends over shared research questions, and exchange advice on navigating academia as a profession. I love the community that AAR creates, particularly through affinity groups like “The Status of Women and Gender Minoritized Persons in the Professions Committee.” These days, I am grateful for AAR’s advocacy work on behalf of Religious studies and the Humanities, as well as the website’s teaching resources like the syllabi collection and Religious Literacy Guidelines.
What is your favorite AAR member benefit, and how has it helped your career?
My Buddhist studies colleagues Jessica X. Zu, Susanne Kerekes, and I won an AAR Collaborative Research Grant in 2021 to host a symposium on “Lived Karma.” That event transformed the way I talk about karma in my research and teaching, plus forged some lifelong professional connections. The grants are so helpful for career development! I also use the AAR Book Awards as a resource to select texts for teaching.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to a first-time Annual Meeting attendee?
One piece of advice I would give to a first-time Annual Meeting attendee is this: invite people to coffee. If you hear an outstanding paper – invite the presenter to coffee. If you have read someone’s book and want the backstory – invite them to coffee. If you need advice on grant applications or job interviews – ask prospective mentors to coffee. Not everyone will say yes, but when they do, you’ll start to grow an amazing mutually supportive network. Coffee meetings can be as short as 20 minutes (and tea is always an option!), but I find they are the most useful and sustaining part of conferences.
What book is on your nightstand that you’re reading or intend to read in the future?
I usually have a few books and audiobooks going at once! For academic work, I am excited to read Yasmin Cho’s Politics of Tranquility: The Material and Mundane Lives of Buddhist Nuns in Post-Mao Tibet (Cornell University Press, 2025). On a personal note, I love memoirs and incorporate them into my teaching whenever I can, so recently started The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir by Kao Kalia Yang (2008).
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
My greatest joy is walking my dog, Gracie. Her delight in all the small wonders of our morning route helps me appreciate life more fully. I also cherish time outdoors kayaking, backpacking, and running. I just registered for the Seattle marathon! Running has been good training for an academic career – it taught me to chase big goals through smaller daily efforts. Running and writing are both solitary tasks that can be done in community. Teaming up with a running partner or writing group adds accountability for persistence. We don’t have to go it alone. Find the people who cheer you on – and cheer back!
News Source
