Natasha Heller

Natasha Heller, associate professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia who studies Chinese Buddhism, discusses Buddhist picturebooks and family Buddhism in modern Taiwan. She examines picturebooks as a new Buddhist genre. She explores how families and publishers shape child-focused religious education. She describes cute portrayals of buddhas, storytelling strategies, and home-based learning.

Natasha Heller, associate professor and cultural historian of Chinese Buddhism, discusses Buddhist picturebooks and family Buddhism in modern Taiwan. She explores picturebooks as a new Buddhist genre. She traces how homes and caregivers shape children as religious subjects. She highlights cute bodhisattva imagery, moral stories recast for kids, and books that make children agents in health and environmental action.

Natasha Heller, associate professor of Religious Studies and cultural historian of Chinese Buddhism, explores how Taiwanese picturebooks shape family-based Buddhist education. She traces the rise of child-focused Buddhist texts, analyzes playful and cute depictions of buddhas and bodhisattvas, and examines institutional and family shifts that make homes central sites of religious learning.