New Books in Anthropology Sara Ann Swenson, "Near Light We Shine: Buddhist Charity in Urban Vietnam" (Oxford UP, 2025)
Jan 15, 2026
Sara Ann Swenson, an Assistant Professor of Religion at Dartmouth College, dives into her groundbreaking book on Buddhist charity in urban Vietnam. She shares her unique path from Christian roots to embracing Vietnamese Buddhism, illuminating grassroots charity initiatives and the complexity of urban volunteering. Swenson discusses the significance of the proverb 'Near Light We Shine,' exploring themes of authenticity and community. She also examines the dynamic interplay of class and gender within charity frameworks, revealing how these efforts counter societal stereotypes.
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Feeling Trumps Scale In Merit-Making
- Feeling and authentic intention matter more than scale for many Vietnamese Buddhist volunteers.
- Volunteers judge charity by the sincerity of emotion and the perceived purity of motive rather than institutional size.
Queer Love Framed As Karmic Yun
- Bao, a queer volunteer leader, framed his relationship as karmic yun and used that narrative to build a queer Buddhist charity community.
- His approach attracted followers via Facebook and made the group a visible space for queer belonging and charity.
Class Limits Participation
- Class shapes access to certain charity projects, producing critiques of exclusion even within volunteer communities.
- Some volunteers left groups that required time or large donations because they lacked resources to participate.
