About

Snježana Zorić is an interdisciplinary scholar whose work combines perspectives from Indology, Philosophy, Theory of science and Anthropology. Born in Zagreb, Croatia, she studied Philosophy, Indology and Anthropology at the University of Zagreb where she received her PhD in Anthropology in 2000. 

She is the first Croatian anthropologist to study extensively Indonesian and Korean cultures, a pursuit she began at the University of Durham, the UK in 1979, continuing with field research in Java and Bali in 1985, and in Korea from 1988 to 1994.

Snježana lived in Seoul until her retirement in 2019, holding the title of full professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Before taking the position at HUFS in 2014, she acted as Head of the Department of Ethnology and Anthropology at the University of Zadar (2009-2014).

Throughout her career, she has been teaching and researching at prestigious universities in Germany, Italy, Croatia and Korea, notably the Department of Philosophy and the Department of Science of Religion at the Julius Maximilian University in Würzburg, the Department for Comparative Studies in Culture and Religions (Vergleichende Kultur- und Religionswissenschaft) at the Phillips University of Marburg, the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg  (Projekt Theatralität – Theater als kulturelles Modell in den Kulturwissenschaften), the Theological Faculty in Brixen (Studio Teologico Accademico Bressanone, Italy), the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul Global Campus, Yong-in, the Department of Anthropology at the University of Zadar and the Institute of Ethnology and Folkloristics, both of the latter in Croatia. 

Her long-term (and current) fields of interest are Asian philosophies, religions and arts, with an emphasis on Buddhism and Shamanism. She is an anthropology veteran who has been conducting field research on numerous distinct locations all throughout Asia (see field research) for over four decades.

Apart from her academic work, Snježana is a passionate photographer, Reiki master and student of various Asian practices such as Haedong Geomdo, Qi Gong, Tai Chi and Yoga. She is also trying her hand at Korean calligraphy (Seoye) and has been learning to play traditional Korean instruments Gayageum and Janggu for several years. 

Together with a group of “Lovers of the Way”, she has initiated the “TaoShan Network in Croatia”, an aesthetic and spiritual lifestyle project dedicated to the practice of “Ways performing the Way” which consists of acting, photographing, filming, calligraphy, playing music, meditating, drinking tea, “doing nothing”, and much more…

Korea 2014-2019