Abstract

A rich scholarship exists on Buryat Buddhism and its history; however, it mostly provides the reader with socio-historical context, leaving a gap in understanding the role of women within the religious community. This gap is observable in Buryatia, a region with a significant Buddhist population. This research project attempts to fill this gap by studying the agency of laywomen within the Buryat Buddhist sangha by exploring their roles, contributions, and motivations. Studies on female religiosity and opportunities for women in Buddhism, such as nun ordination and Tantric practices, used to overlook the experiences and voices of secular women.

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and over 30 interviews with laity, clergy, and experts, this paper examines how female Buryat Buddhist activists locate themselves within the contemporary sangha. Employing theories of desecularization and post-secular hybridity, I argue that their faith-based activism reshapes the boundaries of the sangha in multiple ways, blurring the distinction between religious and secular domains, as well as reconfiguring gendered attitudes. Their projects can be religious or secular, yet remain religiously motivated, as many activists see their efforts as a Buddhist duty or a way to accumulate good karma.

This activism gives rise to a paradoxical form of gendered activism without an explicitly articulated gendered agenda: although activists are aware of their unique position, they demonstrate neither support nor rejection of existing gender hierarchies. A case study method allows for insights into the diverse roles and motivations of lay female religious activists in Buryatia, while at the same time contributing to broader discussions on religion and gender, lived religious tradition, and post-socialist religious transformations in Central Eurasia.