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Dear Colleagues,I write to invite you to join a newly formed group affiliated with the Association for Asian Studies, the Theravada Studies Group (TSG). It provides a new academic forum dedicated to the thematic, transdisciplinary, transnational and comparative study of Theravada Buddhist practices, cultures, histories and texts. Our purpose is to facilitate scholarly exchanges among social scientists and humanists who work on aspects of Theravada Buddhism in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Southwest China and globally though pilgrimage and diaspora networks.The Theravada Studies Group will hold an initial planning meeting at the AAS in San Diego at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, Del Mar A/B room, 1- 2:30 pm, on Saturday, March 23, 2013. The TSG will meet annually in conjunction with the AAS in order to promote comparative work on the religious, cultural and historical aspects and encourage the submission of proposals for AAS panels. Please plan to attend and share this announcement with interested colleagues.Scholars interested in Theravada Studies may subscribe to a new web-based repository for Theravada Studies athttp://theravadaciv.org . Your log-in will give you access to additional information. You can build your own profile and upload your publications which other members will be able to read.  Selecting the RRS feature will allow you to receive periodic updates on new posts, blogs and features. Membership is free and password protected. You can write to me at J.Schober@asu.edu for further information.Thanking you for your interest and with all best wishes for the New Year,Juliane SchoberProfessor of Religious Studies andDirector, Center for Asian ResearchArizona State Universitysource: AISLS