Dr Siddhesh Mukerji

My scholarship focuses on Buddhist social action and social work education.

My work explores how Buddhist thinker-activists conceptualize and respond to social problems. This exploration includes potential contributions of Buddhism—as a diverse set of methodologies for understanding and responding to suffering—to social work (e.g., a cosmology of interconnectedness, embodied methods for transforming internalized oppression) and social justice challenges facing Buddhism (e.g., its historical/ongoing roles in supporting patriarchy). Currently, my main project is a book on Zen Buddhist social action in the US.

My education research uses social science research methods and a philosophy of education analysis to explore pedagogies that blur disciplinary boundaries (e.g., environmental social work education) and reenvision traditional approaches to learning-teaching (e.g., critical reflection). As an educator, I am especially inspired by engaged pedagogy and critical pedagogy.