Event Description
Drawing on a legal tradition that is over 2,000 years old, Buddhist monks and nuns are among the most active lawmakers and jurists in Asia today. Yet, their legal activities are rarely discussed by scholars of law or religion.
In this talk, Schonthal asks: What can Buddhist monastics tell us about navigating legal pluralism in the world today? Why does legal pluralism produce conflict in some settings and compromise in others? Drawing on his recent book and more than a decade of research, Schonthal explores the complex legal multiverse inhabited by Buddhist monks in contemporary Southern Asia, while also explaining how and why scholars should take heed of the ‘practices of legal pluralism’ that they employ.
Speaker
Benjamin Schonthal is Professor in the Religion Programme and Affiliate Professor in Law at the University of Otago in Aotearoa New Zealand, where he also co-directs the Otago Centre for Law & Society. Schonthal received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and he has held visiting positions at Northwestern University, the Institute for Advanced Studies (Bielefeld) and the Law School at the University of Chicago. His research examines how religion, law and politics intersect in South and Southeast Asia. His latest book is Courts, Constitutions and Karma: Buddhism, Law and Practices of Legal Pluralism in Sri Lanka (Cambridge Studies in Law and Society, February 2026).
- Centre for Asian Legal Studies
- General Public
- All Students
- Alumni
- Faculty
- Graduate Students
- JD
- Staff
- Research Talks
