GL Louis Religious Pluralism Research Cluster, NUS

Honored to host Professor Chien-peng Chung (Lingnan University) for an engaging book talk on "Competing Nationalisms in China’s Borderlands: State Integration, Ethnic Separatism, and Foreign Involvement," the final seminar for the cluster this semester. His lecture offered rich insights into the tensions between state and minority nationalisms, as well as the broader dynamics of ethnic politics, borderlands, and foreign intervention in modern China. The discussion also opened up important reflections on the challenges of writing about complex and often contested subjects in contemporary history.

Be sure to check out his book for a deeper exploration of these important and timely issues: https://www.routledge.com/Competing-Nationalisms-in-Chinas-Borderlands-State-Integration-Ethnic-Separatism-and-Foreign-Involvement/Chung/p/book/9789048564880

We are delighted to share that this year’s GL Louis Religious Pluralism Research Cluster Annual Distinguished Lecture, "New Histories of Catholicism and Empire" by Professor Charles Keith (Michigan State University), is now available online. Drawing on two decades of transformative scholarship, the lecture explores how imperial conquest and colonial encounters shaped the modern Catholic Church, while also examining how the Church, in turn, helped shape empire. It offers a rich and thought-provoking reflection on religion, power, and global history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_-rx9bDvQY&

New Histories of Catholicism and Empire | Distinguished Lecture by Professor Charles Keith 2026 Distinguished Lecture | GL Louis Religious Pluralism Research Cluster, FASSSpeaker: Professor Charles KeithTalk: New Histories of Catholicism and Empire...

Join us for an engaging afternoon of reflection and discussion with Chien-peng Chung (Lingnan University) as he speaks on the challenges and joys of writing his recent book, Competing Nationalisms in China’s Borderlands: State Integration, Ethnic Separatism and Foreign Involvement (Amsterdam University Press / Routledge). In this talk, Prof. Chung reflects on the process of writing on a complex and often contentious subject, examining the tensions between Han Chinese state nationalism and minority ethnic nationalisms across China’s borderlands, and offering a balanced analysis of ethnic politics, state integration, internal colonialism, and foreign intervention from the late Qing period to the present.

Book Talk: The Challenges and Joys of Writing a Book on China’s Ethnic Politics and Borderlands will take place on 7 April 2026 (Tuesday), 2:00–4:00 p.m., at the NUS FASS Research Division Seminar Room, AS7 06-42. All are warmly invited to this thought-provoking session as we conclude the semester’s programme. Register here: https://forms.office.com/r/HaA9DAaBAf

Join us for the launch of 𝙁𝙞𝙜𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘽𝙪𝙙𝙙𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝘿𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙘𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙈𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝘼𝙨𝙞𝙖 (Bloomsbury, 2026), edited by Jack Meng-Tat Chia.

Date & Time: 8 April 2026 (Wednesday), 5:30–8:00 pm
Venue: The Pod, Level 16, NLB, 100 Victoria St, Singapore 188064
Organisers: Singapore Research Nexus and the GL Louis Religious Pluralism Research Cluster, NUS FASS Research Division

Registration: Tinyurl.com/BuddhistDiplomacy
Programme: Tinyurl.com/Buddhist-Diplomacy

𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗟𝗔𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗛: 𝙁𝙞𝙜𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘽𝙪𝙙𝙙𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝘿𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙘𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙈𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝘼𝙨𝙞𝙖 (Bloomsbury, 2026), edited by Assoc Prof Jack Meng-Tat Chia (NUS Department of History)

Date & Time: 8 April 2026, Wednesday, 5:30 to 8:00 pm

Venue: The Pod, Level 16, NLB 100 Victoria St Singapore, 188064

Organisers: Singapore Research Nexus and GL Louis Religious Pluralism Research Cluster at NUS FASS Research Division

Registration: Tinyurl.com/BuddhistDiplomacy

Programme: Tinyurl.com/Buddhist-Diplomacy

Book Sale & Signing
A small number of copies will be available for sale and signing at a 40% discounted price of S$80, and payment can be made via PayNow.

About the Book
Redefining how we understand diplomacy, 𝘍𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘋𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘈𝘴𝘪𝘢 reveals Buddhism as a dynamic force in shaping international relations. This groundbreaking open access book highlights individuals-including monastics, laity, political leaders, and royalty-who have strategically employed Buddhist objects, teachings, and networks to forge transregional ties and influence global politics. Introducing the concept of Buddhist diplomacy, the book traces how Buddhism has been mobilized for soft power, cultural exchange, peacebuilding, and even geopolitical manoeuvring. From spiritual ambassadors like Taixu, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Hsing Yun to world leaders such as the Dalai Lama, Narendra Modi, and Xi Jinping, the twenty-two essays illuminate the surprising ways Buddhism has intersected with modern statecraft. Blending historical depth with contemporary insight, this volume invites readers to rethink diplomacy not only as negotiation and policy but also as a terrain where religion, culture, and global power converge.

Delighted to host Dr. Wu Qi (Singapore University of Social Sciences) for a thoughtful and engaging book talk on the transregional networks of Dejiao and their connections between China and Southeast Asia. Her presentation offered rich historical insights into the movement’s development, circulation, and local adaptations, and prompted many productive reflections on the broader study of Chinese religious networks in the region. Be sure to check out her book for a deeper exploration of these fascinating transregional religious connections:
https://doi.org/10.1142/g517

We are delighted to welcome NUS alumna Dr Wu Qi (Singapore University of Social Sciences) back to campus for a book talk on her recent monograph, "The Flying Clouds: Transregional Network of the Dejiao Charity Organization in Southeast Asia" (2024)

Join us on 5 March 2026, 2.00–3.30pm, at the NUS FASS Research Division Seminar Room (AS7 06-42) for her talk, “Charity, Morality, and Mobility: Dejiao and Transregional Chinese Religious Networks in Southeast Asia.” Drawing on multi-sited fieldwork across regions bordering the South China Sea, Dr Wu examines the contemporary development of Dejiao, a Chinese religious and charitable organization in Southeast Asia, under the dual pressures of globalization and localization.

Dr Wu is Assistant Director of the Centre for Chinese Studies and Senior Lecturer at the Singapore University of Social Sciences. She received her PhD from NUS and previously served as Research Fellow at the NUS Asia Research Institute and Adjunct Lecturer at NUS. It is always a pleasure to welcome back alumni whose research speaks to wider conversations on religion, community, and maritime Asia!

Registration: https://forms.office.com/r/Pgsd9QbVY7

We were delighted to welcome back outstanding NUS alumnus Jayeel Cornelio, now Director of the Science Education Institute at the Department of Science and Technology, Philippines, and Professor of Development Studies at Ateneo de Manila University.

In his fascinating lecture, “Which Christianity? Rethinking the Philippines as a Christian Nation,” Jayeel invited us to reconsider what it means to describe the Philippines in religious terms. He highlighted the diversity of Christian expressions, the historical layers that shaped them, and the implications for politics, education, and public life today. The discussion that followed was lively and wide-ranging, a wonderful reminder of how meaningful it is to have our alumni return to share their work and journeys.

Thank you, Jayeel, for coming home to NUS. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

We are delighted to welcome back Professor Jayeel Cornelio, Director of the Science Education Institute (Department of Science and Technology, Philippines) and Professor at Ateneo de Manila University, and a proud National University of Singapore alum, to campus! Join us for his talk, “Which Christianity? Rethinking the Philippines as a Christian Nation,” where he reflects on religious pluralism, politics, and education in the contemporary Philippines.

It is always a pleasure to host our alumni and to see the many ways their scholarship continues to shape public conversations across the region. We look forward to welcoming Jayeel back to NUS and to an engaging discussion with colleagues and students!

Sign up here: https://forms.office.com/r/gBJxh4jYEP

We were honored to host Professor Charles Keith for the Annual GL Louis Distinguished Lecture, delivered on 30 January 2026, titled “New Histories of Catholicism and Empire.”

Drawing on two decades of path-breaking scholarship, Professor Keith’s lecture invited us to rethink the global history of the Catholic Church by foregrounding its deep entanglements with empire, colonial encounters, and transnational mobility in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. His reflections powerfully illuminated how empire shaped Catholic institutions and practices, even as the Church itself actively shaped imperial worlds.

Coincidentally, we learned that the day also marked the 30th anniversary of Mr. GL Louis’s passing, making it especially meaningful for us to gather in the spirit of inquiry and dialogue that his generosity continues to inspire. The GL Louis Religious Pluralism Research Cluster remains committed to fostering rigorous research and facilitating thoughtful conversations among scholars, practitioners, and the wider public.

We are deeply grateful to the Louis family for their continued support of NUS and for enabling this important platform for scholarly exchange.

Happy New Year! 🎉

You are warmly invited to a Distinguished Lecture organized by the GL Louis Religious Pluralism Research Cluster at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Professor Charles Keith (Michigan State University) will serve as the Distinguished Speaker for the 2026 lecture. His lecture, "New Histories of Catholicism and Empire," offers fresh perspectives on the entangled histories of Catholicism, empire, and colonial encounters.

Date & Time: Friday, 30 January 2026 | 7:00–9:30 pm
Venue: Shaw Foundation Alumni House, Auditorium (Level 2)
11 Kent Ridge Drive, Singapore 119244
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/new-histories-of-catholicism-and-empire-tickets-1977851897267

We look forward to welcoming colleagues, students, and friends to this special lecture. Wishing everyone a wonderful, healthy, and inspiring 2026!

The GL Louis Religious Pluralism Research Cluster was honored to host Prof. Ting Guo for a thought-provoking book talk on "Religion, Secularism, and Love as a Political Discourse in Modern China" (Amsterdam UP, 2025). Her fascinating study offers the first systematic examination of how the concept of love has been introduced, adapted, and engineered as a political discourse in the making and remaking of a secular modern nation, drawing on Confucianism, Christianity, popular religion, ghost stories, and political religion.

Do check out her important book at the link provided below:
https://www.routledge.com/Religion-Secularism-and-Love-as-a-Political-Discourse-in-Modern-China/Guo/p/book/9789463722155

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our final event of the semester. We look forward to seeing you again next year!