Dr. Natalie Quli has been appointed to the Institute of Buddhist Studies (IBS) Core Faculty as an Associate Professor of Theravāda Studies.
Dr. Quli, who served as an IBS Research Fellow for many years, received her Ph.D from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, and focuses on Buddhism in the United States and Canada, Theravāda studies, contemporary Buddhism in Sri Lanka and tradition and the construction of religious authority .
“I'm interested in the construction of religious authority and authenticity in Buddhist communities in response to social change,” she said. “How do these various Buddhist groups maintain, reconstruct, or even reinvent traditions? I'm also drawn to study the development of hierarchies and structures of power within these communities, as well as relationships between them.”
Dr. Quli’s recent article publications include “When White Buddhists Don’t See Race” in Buddhadharma magazine and “A Brief Critical Appraisal of the Buddhist Modernism Paradigm” in the Routledge Handbook of Buddhist-Christian Studies. She will be teaching “Women in Theravāda Traditions” in spring of 2024.
Following the retirement of Dr. Richard Payne, Dr. Quli will be taking on a larger role in the publication of the Pacific World journal, the academic journal of IBS. She currently serves as the Senior Editor.
“I started working at IBS as a proofreader for Pacific World in 2003 while I was a graduate student,” Dr. Quli said. “So I've been with Pacific World for 20 years now. I feel really fortunate having a job that I absolutely love — and I really do love the entire process of editing a journal, from author submissions to copyediting to production. I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with so many talented scholars. It really is a dream job for me.”
IBS Dean of Students Dr. Scott Mitchell praised the appointment of Dr. Quli to Core Faculty.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working and collaborating with Dr. Quli for well over 15 years,” Dr. Mitchell said. “Her work as an editor, scholar and teacher is brilliant, and I can think of no one better suited to continue IBS’s publication projects into the future. I am thrilled that she is able to join us on the Core Faculty.”