Anna Sunn

Wonder And Awe

Anna Sun, an Associate Professor at Duke University, holds a Princeton PhD in Sociology and is a prominent scholar in the field of religion and culture. Her research focuses on Confucianism as a world religion, gender and Global Confucianism, comparative studies of prayer and ritual, and methodological issues in studying East Asian religions.

Throughout her career, Professor Sun has been a fellow at prestigious institutions such as the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.

She is actively involved in various academic organizations, including serving as a trustee of the Fetzer Institute and being part of the Advisory Committee for the "Women's Studies in Religion Program" at Harvard Divinity School. Additionally, she is an advisor for the Pew Research Center on surveys of religion in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the US (Asian-Americans).

Professor Sun has held leadership positions as Chair of the Board of Directors of ASIANetwork, Vice President of the Society for the Study of Chinese Religions, and Co-Chair of the Chinese Religions Unit of the American Academy of Religion.

Among her notable publications are "Confucianism as a World Religion: Contested Histories and Contemporary Realities," which received book awards from the American Academy of Religion and the American Sociological Association. She has also co-edited "Situating Spirituality: Context, Practice, and Power" and co-authored "Against Happiness," exploring comparative notions of wellbeing.

Currently, Professor Sun is working on two monographs: one focusing on Global Confucianism and the other examining contemporary ritual life in relation to magic, rationality, gender, time, and urban space.