Open Access
Part of being an academic means being part of a closed system. Much of the work we do as scholars remains hidden in obscurity, behind some formidable pay-walls. Whether it is the high cost of academic books or peer reviewed journals only research libraries can afford subscriptions to, there is a problem of access in academia. Most of the public never sees our work, even if they want to.
I’m happy (dare I say, proud) that I work for an institution whose own academic journal, the Pacific World, is freely distributed to anyone who wants it, in both electronic PDF format and good old fashioned print. This is made possible by the generous support of the Numata Foundation, an organization that does all sorts of good work for Buddhist studies all over the world, helping make our work as scholars accessible.
I’ll not debate the merits of this closed system here. Suffice it to say, a lot has been written about what’s wrong with this system and the need for more access to scholarly work. Many of these arguments, however, never address the fact that merely having access to scholarly work can never take the place of an education. Real education does not happen simply by reading something; education takes time, commitment, guidance, good teachers and mentors, and a peer group. But that’s an argument for another time!
My only purpose here is to acknowledge the difficulty many have in getting access to good scholarly work. Even students, who do have access to research libraries, often find themselves either looking for something that the library does not have or in the position of needing to buy something ridiculously expensive. But, fortunately, there are a number of sources out there that are open access. You just need to know where to look.
Below is a short and no doubt incomplete list. My own research interests mean I’m just not aware of everything out there. So I encourage anyone with other tips to leave them in the comments. It’s a start. A way of helping expand our collective knowledge.
Journals with open access:
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies
Journals with other levels of access:
The Pure Land: the Journal of the International Association of Shin Buddhist Studies. Membership in the IASBS is relatively inexpensive ($20 per year; $15 if you’re a student, and the first year is free). With membership, you get a subscription to the journal as well as access to all back copies via the Internet.
Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies: 60 months after publication, the JIABS goes online in free PDF format. If you can’t wait that long, become a member and get a regular subscription to the journal.
The Eastern Buddhist is a subscription-based journal, but unlike other academic journals, it’s subscription price is pretty low. Just $25 per year. (Compare that to the journal Contemporary Buddhism — a fantastic journal — which has subscriptions starting at $87 up to more than $300.)
A subscription to The Journal of the American Academy of Religion comes with AAR membership. For students, this is $50 per year. It’s a sliding scale otherwise, based on your income. Not cheep. But sort of essential for scholars. I’m told you can get free access to PDFs somewhere online, but can’t figure out how.
As I said, if I missed anything, let me know in the comments!
Graduate Student Symposium
I’m happy to announce that the Institute’s 2nd Annual Graduate Student Symposium has been scheduled for March 16, 2012.
Last year, our inaugural event, which featured a single panel focused on Buddhist issues in the modern world, was great success, drawing interest from within the IBS community, the broader GTU student body, and grad students from the University of California, Berkeley. Building on that success, this year we plan to expand the program to a full day of panels and have released the following open call for papers.
Call for Papers
We are pleased to announce a call for papers for the 2nd Annual Graduate Student Symposium at the Institute of Buddhist Studies. Our theme this year is “Globalization, Tourism, Modernization, and Religions of Asia.” Both in Asia and in the West, religions are transformed by globalization, tourism, and modernization. This conference invites graduate students to submit proposals considering how one or more of these topics affect Religions of Asia, either in the US or abroad. Proposals should be between 150 to 200 words, and include the paper’s title and the author’s name, affiliation, and contact information. Please submit proposals to courtney.bruntz@gmail.com no later than January 1, 2012.
Symposia such as these are a great opportunity for professional development. They give grad students an opportunity to practice giving papers (an important aspect of a scholar’s professional life) and act as a way to get feedback on one’s writing and research from sympathetic peers and experienced faculty members.
If you’re in a graduate program studying Buddhism or Asian religions more broadly, I encourage you to submit a paper for consideration. And if you’re a faculty member, please forward this off to your students.
Looking forward to the symposium in March!
AAR 2011
The American Academy of Religion is North America’s largest professional organization for scholars of religion. Each year, the AAR hosts a conferences that brings together thousands of scholars as well as academic book publishers and editors. And Buddhist studies is well represented!
This year’s conference is being held in San Francisco, so it’s a great opportunity for our students and extended community members to experience the AAR.
What’s more, there are a couple of events happening at this year’s conference that are directly related to the Institute.
New Research in Pure Land Buddhist Studies:
A panel organized and moderated by myself will be held on Sunday, November 20, at 3 o’clock. The purpose of the panel is to bring Pure Land Buddhism to the forefront of academic inquiry. Former IBS faculty members Kenneth Tanaka and Eisho Nasu are joined by Jessica Main and Mark Blum.
Reception honoring Leslie Kawamura:
Leslie Kawamura was a dedicated scholar as well as a formidable presence in American Shin Buddhist communities who passed away earlier this year. The University of Calgary, along with the Buddhist Studies group at the AAR, the International Association of Shin Buddhist Studies, and the IBS are hosting a reception in his honor on Monday, November 21, at 7 p.m. All are invited to attend.
Other Buddhism-related panels:
As always, there are dozens of other panels and events that are related to Buddhism, Buddhist studies, and Asian religions. View the online program book for more information.
For more information about the AAR, check out their website. And students — please feel free to come talk to me if you have any questions about the benefits of AAR membership.
New faculty pages
The Institute of Buddhist Studies is testing new faculty pages. Since I’m the resident “IT expert,” I’m one of the guinea pigs!
Our Dean, Richard K. Payne, has his personal site set up as well. And over time, I’m sure more faculty will come on board.