Visiting Scholar
Masaryk University, Brno

Jana Valtrová is Assistant Professor in Religious Studies at the Department for the Study of Religions at Masaryk University, Brno (Czech Republic). She holds an M.A. in History and Religious Studies (2003) and a Ph.D. in Religious Studies (2007), both from Masaryk University. Her postdoctoral research project resulted in a monograph titled Středověká setkání s 'jinými': Modloslužebníci, židé, saracéni a heretici v misionářských zprávách o Asii (Praha: Argo, 2011) (Medieval Encounters with the Other: Idolaters, Jews, Saracens, and Heretics in Missionary Reports About Asia). The topic of medieval Christian missions in Asia remains a central, though not an exclusive, part of her research. This covers both the conceptual as well as practical aspects of interfaith encounters and their reflection in European culture. From 2006 to 2009, she was the managing editor of the journal Religio. Revue pro religionistiku, and since 2015 she has been Vice-President of the Czech Association for the Study of Religions. Since 2016, she has also acted as co-ordinator of the CEEPUS (Central European Programme for University Studies) 'Study of Religions' network. At her home department she delivers courses on Buddhism, Christian Missions, Anabaptism, and Indian Christianity, and, with other colleagues, courses focused on historical methods in the study of religions. As a visiting scholar she has previously taught at universities in Bern, Bratislava, Krakow, Leipzig, Lausanne, and Szeged. While at the Department in the 2018 summer semester, Professor Valtrová co-ordinates a course on "Buddhism and the West."