Dr. Lazzerini received her Ph.D in Religious Studies from Stanford University in 2023. Her dissertation, “Mother of Demons and Dharma Protector: Tracing Hārītī’s Worship in East Asia,” explores the different manifestations and worship of the goddess Hārītī in China and Japan, covering a period spanning from the fourth century CE to modern times.
Before completing her Ph.D., Simona spent a year in Japan doing fieldwork in Nichiren temples with the generous support of BDK (Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai 仏教伝道協会). Simona’s fields of interest include demonology, female deities, East Asian visual and material culture, and the intersection between religion and popular culture.
At UC Berkeley she will revise her dissertation for publication, and start a new project on Buddhist esoteric texts and rituals dealing with children’s illnesses and possession caused by malevolent beings.
