Diane Riggs

Terasaki Center For Japanese Studies

Established in 1991, the UCLA Terasaki Center has been a platform for research on Japan. Our distinguished faculty, students, postdoctoral fellows, visiting scholars, and the board of advisors have been contributing to the field of Japanese studies for over 20 years.

Faculty Board of Advisors Chair in US-Japan Relations Postdoctoral Fellows Alumni

Students Visitors Staff Supporters Dr. Paul I. Terasaki

The Terasaki Center sponsors a vast array of events throughout the year. With its colloquium series, the Center brings academics from diverse fields to UCLA each year. Special workshops and annual conferences bring leading scholars to discuss topics relating to Japan.

Center News Annual Newsletter

Center Events Community Events Past Events

The Center is proud to support our faculty, current and prospective students, and the local community through a variety of grants and fellowships.

Internal Funding
Learn more and apply for Center funding here.

External Funding
Funding sources in this section are not administered by the Center.

Center programs were established with strong support from the local community to promote research and instruction in Japanese studies, with a recent focus on the profound transformations unfolding in contemporary Japanese society.

UCLA Japanese Studies
Programs by Faculty and Students

Global Japan Initiative
Understanding Japan/Japanese culture within a global context.

The Terasaki Center is actively expanding support for faculty and graduate students, building relationships with other universities as well as Japan and Japanese Studies related organizations, and enhancing its role in the community.

Mission & History
Digital Archive

Global Hub
The Center is dedicated to connecting Japanese communities around the world with those engaged in the study of Japan and the Japanese.

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global japan initiative Understanding Japan/Japanese
culture within a global context

Diane Riggs

Assistant Professor, Western Michigan University

Asian Languages & Cultures PhD, 2010
https://wmich.edu/religion/directory/riggs

Dr. Diane Riggs is faculty specialist I in the Department of Comparative Religion at Western Michigan University.

She conducted her dissertation research in Kyoto at Ryūkoku University and the International Research Center for Japanese Studies. She also studied at the Inter-university Center for Japanese Language Education in Yokohama. Dr. Riggs' dissertation, "The Cultural and Religious Signiﬁcance of Japanese Buddhist Vestments," is the ﬁrst full length study of Japanese Buddhist robes that integrates textual sources with historical and contemporary material culture. Her research interests include the integration of religious practice with material culture and the agency of women in supporting this culture. Dr. Riggs is responsible for coordinating and teaching REL 1000 and REL 2010. She has also taught courses in Indian, Chinese and Japanese religious traditions; Buddhist meditation traditions; and Zen Buddhism.