Research fields as a Biologist and Animal Behaviorist:
After graduating with an B.Sc. (Tel Aviv university), Galia joined a team of animal behaviorists to study the facial expressions of Japanese Macaques monkeys in Nagano, Japan.
Then, as part of her M.Sc., Galia has studied the nocturnal behavior of Bottle-nose dolphins in the Dolphin reef, Eilat, under the supervision of Prof. Todt Dietmar, Berlin University.
In the above photo, Galia is diving and communicating with Dicky the dolphin at the Dolphin Reef, Eilat. I hope he is safe and happy back in the Black Sea, Russia.
Research and studies in the humanities:
Galia’s M.A focused on East Asian cultures and Buddhist thought (2006-10).
M.A thesis and PhD research constitute an investigation into the metaphorical and philosophical significance of abstract and concrete gates in ancient China.
Courses taught in Tel Aviv university and Tel Hai college:
Tel Aviv university: “Introduction to Chinese Philosophy” and “The philosophy of emptiness in Chinese and Japanese aesthetics, architecture and the arts”
Tel Hai college: “Concepts of Self Realization and potentiality in Chinese philosophy” and “Introduction to Buddhism in the context of the intellectual history of ancient India”
Presenting papers in the following Conferences:
June 2012 (Munich Germany): “The Daoist Gate (men) as an Opportunity for Inner Transformation”.
The 8th International Conference on Daoist Studies.
May 2014 (Boston university): “Between the Worlds: Gateways in Ancient Daoist Thought”. The 9th International Conference on Daoist Studies.
May 2016 (Taiwan): “Biological and Evolutionary thought in Daoist Texts”. Conference on Daoism: Self, Science, and Society.
November 2017 (Solothurn, Switzerland): “Parallels of thought Chinese in philosophy, Architecture and Medicine – with Applications for the Metal Phase”. ASA Traditional Chinese Medicine Congress.
June 2019 (Loyola university, LA): “The shu 術 of shi 時 at the Daoist Gate (men 門)”. Conference on Dao and Time.
January 2023 (Tel Aviv university, Israel): “Some Reflections on the Significance of gates in East-West Comparative Study”. East (s) Conference.
May 2023 (Tel Aviv university): Grasping Formlessness: A study of lines, gaps and brush strokes in Chinese thought and aesthetics. East Asian Conference.
5-6 March 2025 (Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design): “The School Will Never Become Empty (…and Japan?)”. The Seventh Biennial Conference of the Israeli Association for Japanese Studies Japanese Studies.
June 26-28 2025 (Reykjavík, Iceland): “Protect the Self! A New Perspective on early Chinese Conceptualization of Interiority and Self-cultivation”. The 5th Biennial Conference of the European Association for Chinese Philosophy (EACP).
Future conference:
29-31 January 2026 (Turin, Italy): “Conceptualizing Health and Illness: Chinese, Japanese and Western Perspectives”. A conference on “Asian entanglements”.
Academic Papers:
Galia Dor. 2013 . “The Chinese Gate: A Unique Void for Inner Transformation”. The Journal Of Daoist Studies (6). pp.1-28
Chapters in books:
Galia Dor. 2023. “Sacredness and Water in Contemporary Japanese Architecture: a Reinterpretation of Ancient Traditions”. in (Ed.) Anat Geva. Water and Sacred Architecture. Routledge.
Books:
Galia Dor. 2024. Unlocking the Chinese Gate: Manifestations of the Space “in-between” in early China. Suny press.
Peer Review on my monograph by Prof. David Chai:
“If there is one object in Chinese civilization whose significance surpasses its physical presence, it is the gate. Architecturally, the gate is as varied in size and design as the structures it is associated with, while, in the sphere of religion, it is a physical and metaphorical icon. When it comes to philosophical discourses on the gate, Galia Dor breaks new ground with her reading of the gate as the in-between of the formed and formless. In her profoundly rich and sublimely gratifying work, Dor draws upon a wide spectrum of materials to reveal how the Chinese transformed the humble gate into one having ‘psychocosmic’ potential. Intertwining the fields of architecture, history, politics, religious studies, and philosophy, this book is a breathtaking example of crossdisciplinary scholarship, shedding new light on both the gate and early Chinese thought and material culture.” — David Chai, Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Grants
2025: Together with Prof. Galia Patt-Shamir, the recipient of a four-year grant from the ISF (Israeli Science Fund). The grant will support my research into the significance and meaning of the Chinese idea of ‘space in-between’ represented by the character jian 間 – as a space and interval for change and transformation.
