Anna Seidel
Encyclopedia
Anna Katharina Seidel was a German
Sinologist
who was regarded as an authority in the study of Taoism
. During her 22 years at the Institut du Hobogirin of the Ecole Francaise d’Extreme-Orient in Kyoto, Seidel had become the centre of gravity for the many Western scholars of East Asian studies who ventured to the ancient Japanese capital to conduct research.
, Germany
, but spent most of her childhood in the southern city of Munich
. During the Nazi era, her father, who was an aviation engineer, bravely stood by her mother, who was descendant of a distinguished German-Jewish family; they illegally sheltered a Jewish friend at their home throughout the Second World War, risking a death penalty. Seidel’s parents encouraged her to pursue intellectual interests from an early age. Having been trained in the fundamentals of Sinology at the University of Munich (1958–1960) and the University of Hamburg
(1961), Seidel specialised in the study of Chinese religions in Paris
, where she studied under two eminent German expatriates, Maxime Kaltenmark and Rolf A. Stein from 1961 to 1968. Her doctoral dissertation, La divinisation de Lao-tseu dans le taoisme des Han is regarded as a groundbreaking study in the field. In 1969, Seidel was elected into membership of the Ecole Francaise d'Extreme-Orient and despatched to Kyoto
, the ancient capital of Japan
, where she lived until her death.
. She simultaneously had the opportunity to continue her own research on Taoism, becoming one of the world's leading experts in this subject. After a brief marriage to the Boston
ian scholar Holmes Welch, with whom she co-edited Facets of Taoism (1979), Seidel devoted her life completely to her scholarship and to the Hobogirin Institute.
In 1978, she taught Chinese religion as a visiting professor at the University of Hawaii
and at the University of California, Santa Barbara
in 1988; she repeatedly rejected lucrative offers from eminent American universities. In 1985, she started the bilingual journal Cahiers d'Extreme-Asie, which has since become established as an important publication in the study of East Asian religions. The stated purpose of the journal was to draw scholars in Europe
, America
, and East Asia
closer together. Seidel’s position in Kyoto put her in a unique position to serve as a link between the various geographic ommunities of scholars. She was an international scholar: German in her upbringing and cultural identity, French by citizenship and education, residing and working in Japan, and wooed by the English-speaking academic establishment.
(1975), broke the orthodox mould. While her work was founded on early religious texts, which she subjected to the most rigorous philological scrutiny, her analysis of religion extended to all aspects of culture. She placed her main emphasis on religious practice in its historical context, rather than becoming entangled in doctrinal speculation. Seidel was as atheist and did not practice Taoism; despite this, she was noted for approaching religious phenomena with a high level of empathy. Although Seidel she did not undertake long-term systematic fieldwork on Chinese religion, she paid meticulous attention to contemporary religious phenomena, which she interpreted as a continuum with ancient textual traditions. She had a strongly comparative perspective on religion, and consistently observed and recorded the religious landscape wherever she traveled. Her important collections of documents remain in the keeping of the Hobogirin Institute.
Seidel died before writing a major synthesis of her research field, though there were some initial attempts in such a direction (the booklet Taoismus, Die inoffizielle Hochreligion Chinas and her magisterial Chronicle of Taoist Studies in the West, 1950-1990). Her work remained unfinished at the time of her death.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Sinologist
Sinology
Sinology in general use is the study of China and things related to China, but, especially in the American academic context, refers more strictly to the study of classical language and literature, and the philological approach...
who was regarded as an authority in the study of Taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
. During her 22 years at the Institut du Hobogirin of the Ecole Francaise d’Extreme-Orient in Kyoto, Seidel had become the centre of gravity for the many Western scholars of East Asian studies who ventured to the ancient Japanese capital to conduct research.
Early years
The youngest of three children, Seidel was born in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, but spent most of her childhood in the southern city of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. During the Nazi era, her father, who was an aviation engineer, bravely stood by her mother, who was descendant of a distinguished German-Jewish family; they illegally sheltered a Jewish friend at their home throughout the Second World War, risking a death penalty. Seidel’s parents encouraged her to pursue intellectual interests from an early age. Having been trained in the fundamentals of Sinology at the University of Munich (1958–1960) and the University of Hamburg
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
(1961), Seidel specialised in the study of Chinese religions in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where she studied under two eminent German expatriates, Maxime Kaltenmark and Rolf A. Stein from 1961 to 1968. Her doctoral dissertation, La divinisation de Lao-tseu dans le taoisme des Han is regarded as a groundbreaking study in the field. In 1969, Seidel was elected into membership of the Ecole Francaise d'Extreme-Orient and despatched to Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, the ancient capital of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where she lived until her death.
Research
Here her work was centered upon the compilation of the Hobogirin, a multivolume encyclopedic dictionary of BuddhismBuddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
. She simultaneously had the opportunity to continue her own research on Taoism, becoming one of the world's leading experts in this subject. After a brief marriage to the Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
ian scholar Holmes Welch, with whom she co-edited Facets of Taoism (1979), Seidel devoted her life completely to her scholarship and to the Hobogirin Institute.
In 1978, she taught Chinese religion as a visiting professor at the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
and at the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
in 1988; she repeatedly rejected lucrative offers from eminent American universities. In 1985, she started the bilingual journal Cahiers d'Extreme-Asie, which has since become established as an important publication in the study of East Asian religions. The stated purpose of the journal was to draw scholars in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, America
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, and East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
closer together. Seidel’s position in Kyoto put her in a unique position to serve as a link between the various geographic ommunities of scholars. She was an international scholar: German in her upbringing and cultural identity, French by citizenship and education, residing and working in Japan, and wooed by the English-speaking academic establishment.
Writing
Her published works communicated her thoughts with a clarity which she achieved by avoiding stylistic embellishments and by making no concessions to fashionable theoretical terminology. Seidel's viewpoint on Chinese religion as depicted in her article "Taoism" written for the 15th edition of the Encyclopædia BritannicaEncyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
(1975), broke the orthodox mould. While her work was founded on early religious texts, which she subjected to the most rigorous philological scrutiny, her analysis of religion extended to all aspects of culture. She placed her main emphasis on religious practice in its historical context, rather than becoming entangled in doctrinal speculation. Seidel was as atheist and did not practice Taoism; despite this, she was noted for approaching religious phenomena with a high level of empathy. Although Seidel she did not undertake long-term systematic fieldwork on Chinese religion, she paid meticulous attention to contemporary religious phenomena, which she interpreted as a continuum with ancient textual traditions. She had a strongly comparative perspective on religion, and consistently observed and recorded the religious landscape wherever she traveled. Her important collections of documents remain in the keeping of the Hobogirin Institute.
Seidel died before writing a major synthesis of her research field, though there were some initial attempts in such a direction (the booklet Taoismus, Die inoffizielle Hochreligion Chinas and her magisterial Chronicle of Taoist Studies in the West, 1950-1990). Her work remained unfinished at the time of her death.