My name is Megan Bryson. I received a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Stanford University in 2010. Aside from my interest in popular representations of Zen, my research focus is Buddhism in Southwest China, so I’ve spent a lot of time in mainland China (mainly Beijing and Yunnan) and Taiwan. I currently teach in the Religious Studies department at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.When I’m not shaping young minds, I enjoy hiking in the Smoky Mountains, running, and reading.
Great blog! Fascinating work from my professional (I’m a doctoral candidate in a marketing department studying consumer culture from an interpretive philosophy of science) and personal (I also practice Vipassana and live largely by those Buddhist precepts) perspective. Contextualizing products in cultural milieu is fascinating; keep it up.
As an aside, my step-mother is a faculty member at UT; it isn’t Palo Alto, but I hope you’re enjoying it.