Kirby Sokolow is a PhD candidate and Boardman Fellow in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania where she studies religion and politics in the United States. Kirby holds a BA in Religion from Wesleyan University and an MA in Religious Studies from NYU. Her doctoral dissertation, “Buddhism Behind Bars: Transforming Race, Religion, and Power,” traces how dominant notions of religion, race, criminality, and American belonging have shifted since the late 19th century. Drawing on archival research, media analysis, and oral history, the project examines how Buddhist chaplains, prison authorities, political leaders, and incarcerated people have together shaped the possible meanings of and approaches to prison Buddhism in the U.S. She analyzes both how incarcerated people engage with Buddhism in their daily lives—creatively negotiating power through embodied practices—and how the repetition of discourses that celebrate incarcerated people for transforming from “criminals” into “buddhas” can normalize the disciplining, subject-making, and racializing work of the state.