Religious Literacy and the Professions: Arthur Vining Davis Internships
Learn about the Arthur Vining Davis Summer Internship from the Summer 2019 Cohort. Light refreshments will be served.
The Arthur Vining Davis Internships offer HDS students the opportunity to spend the summer working to advance religious literacy within a relevant professional organization. Internships build on students' coursework and are tailored to students' own interests and vocations. This opportunity is available to all HDS students who take one or both of the prerequisite courses: Religious Literacy and the Professions I and Religious Literacy and the Professions II.
*Please note this event is open to members of the Harvard community.*.
Contact: rlp@hds.harvard.edu.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019, 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM.
Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave.
Africa, Globalization, and the Muslim Worlds
Conference organized by The Alwaleed Professorship of Contemporary Islamic Religion and Society at Harvard Divinity School and The Institute for the Study of Islamic Thought in Africa (ISITA) at Northwestern University.
Harvard Divinity School, September 19-21, 2019
For a full schedule of the event, please go to their website.
Scholarship on globalization of Islamic Africa has been focused either on merely describing (if not romanticizing) African Muslims’ experiences abroad, on one hand, or on exploring how Muslim societies in Africa are affected by global Islamic trends, on the other hand. Little attention has been paid to the ways in which Islam and what it means to be African and Muslim have been and are being negotiated at the intersection of local, regional and global encounters, narratives, perceptions and exchanges.
Questions that we seek to investigate include but are not limited to: How to account for the dynamics of continuity and change in forms of Islamic piety, authority and…
Contact: islamicafrica2019@gmail.com.
Thursday, September 19, 2019 – Saturday, September 21, 2019.
Harvard Divinity School.
Gurus, Women, and Yoga: The Spiritual World of Hindu Universalism
Annual Hindu View of Life Lecture
After the World Parliament of Religions in 1893, Vivekananda became a global celebrity and an emissary of neo-Vedanta or Hindu Universalism in Europe and America. He brought the practice of Raja Yoga and new forms of Hindu teaching to Europe and America, shaping Western disciples searching for post-Christian spirituality. This lecture will examine how Vivekananda conveyed the meaning of ‘guru-bakhti’ to his new female disciples, and the spiritual lens through which he sought to mold them. He had grown up in an entirely male spiritual milieu, where the guru’s power was transmitted to worthy male aspirants. In the West, Vivekananda had to adapt much of his teaching (i.e. guru-disciple relationship and the practice of meditation) to encompass an entirely new world of feminine devotees, many of whom had engaged in spiritualism, hypnotherapy and, above all, Christian Science. Professor Harris argues that he had to adapt to their concerns while constantly differentiating…
Contact: CSWR, 617.495.4476.
Monday, September 23, 2019, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM.
Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave.
Writing from Wabanaki
This talk is part of the Native American Speaker Series and takes place in conjunction with the course "Issues in the Study of Native American Religions."
Lisa Brooks (Abenaki) is Professor of English and American Studies at Amherst College, and was formerly John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University. Her Book, Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philips War, received the Bancroft Prize, one of the most prestigious honors in American History, in 2019.
Contact: Tracy Wall.
Tuesday, September 24, 2019, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
Barker Center, 12 Quincy St. Cambridge.
Death in Transit: Cremation, Spectacle, and Looking Off-center
Jyoti Puri, Visiting Professor of Women’s Studies and South Asian Religions Colorado Scholar from Simmons University, will present on “Death in Transit: Cremation, Spectacle, and Looking Off-center.”.
Contact: Tracy Wall.
Thursday, September 26, 2019, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM.
Room 119, 60 Oxford Street.
Ardencies: St. Hildegard's Blazing Plants
Marder formulates the paradox of “excessive heat” that, on the one hand, signals the ardency of faith and the love of God and, on the other, the effect of sin configured as ariditas (dryness), undoing viriditas (the greening green, a self-refreshing power of creation). The difference between the two kinds of excessive heat is folded into the material distinction between the woods and wood: while timber is dry and ready to go up in flames, living trees are anything but inert matter ready to be incinerated. Paradoxically, though, the woods themselves are ablaze; they are heat, which Hildegard associates with spirit. In them, solar energy is not only captured and detained but perpetually transformed in an ongoing elemental conversation with water, the earth, and the atmosphere.
Michael Marder is IKERBASQUE Research Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. His writings span the fields of phenomenology, political thought, and…
Contact: CSWR, 617.495.4476.
Thursday, September 26, 2019, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM.
Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave.
SACRED GROVES / SECRET PARKS: Orisha Landscapes in Brazil and West Africa
The Sacred Groves and Secret Parks colloquium and exhibition will bring together insights on the materiality and spatiality of Afro-religious diasporic practices, decentering Western canons of knowledge and leading to new design possibilities for Brazilian and West African cities.
Landscapes of orisha devotion are often manifested as sacred groves, where devotees cultivate orishas—deities, or energies of nature, in Yoruba tradition that enable all forms of life—using combinations of botanical manipulation, animal sacrifice, music, and dance. In the process, Afro-diasporic memories, knowledge, and environmental understandings are made manifest and empowered.
A crucial feature of such spaces is that they often occupy a luscious green expanse, adjacent to urban settings and in some cases occupy areas larger than football fields. Once associated with every town in Yorubaland, the groves of West Africa are largely depleted. In contrast, orisha groves in Brazilian cities are plentiful but are often protected…
Contact: events@gsd.harvard.edu, 617.496.2414.
Thursday, October 3, 2019, 9:00 AM – Friday, October 4, 2019, 4:00 PM.
Harvard University Graduate School Of Design, 48 Quincy St. Stubbins Room, 112, Cambridge.
Reflections on Art as Spiritual Practice
Given the staggering challenges of contemporary life, where do we find solace and respite? And in the face of suffering, how do we cultivate kindness and compassion, negative capability and wisdom? In addressing these and other questions, Deborah will discuss her seventh book, Beginning Again: Reflections on Art as Spiritual Practice, and show images of her recent art.
Deborah J. Haynes is both a scholar and an artist. Following an MTS from Harvard Divinity School and a PhD from Harvard University in the Study of Religion and Art History, she taught at Washington State University and University of Colorado Boulder from 1991-2013, also serving as a program director or department chair for more than fourteen years. She has authored seven books and numerous articles on philosophy of art. Her most recent book is Beginning Again: Reflections on Art as Spiritual Practice (Cascade Books, 2018); and her work as an artist includes marble carving and mixed media drawing. www.DeborahJHaynes.com.
Contact: CSWR, 617.495.4476.
Thursday, October 3, 2019, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave.
The Moral Imperative to Improve Planetary Health Through Climate Solutions
In the presence of accelerating global environmental change, health professionals around the world are sounding the alarm, acknowledging that it’s not just the health of our natural systems that are at stake – we’re also risking our own health and that of future generations. This October, on the heels of New York City's Climate Week and this Season of Creation, Climate for Health, Blessed Tomorrow, the Planetary Health Alliance, the Center for the Study of World Religions, and the Harvard Divinity School are hosting a discussion with faith leaders and health professionals focused on the moral imperatives of taking action on planetary health.
In this webinar, health professionals will illuminate the current environmental crisis, highlighting how climate change, biodiversity loss, global pollution, and other factors are putting us at risk of disease, malnutrition, injury, mental health challenges, and other threats to our health and wellbeing. Recognizing the urgency of these issues, our speakers will discus…
Contact: Erika Veidis.
Thursday, October 3, 2019, 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM.
Webinar (see registration link below).
The Seven Visions of Bull Lodge
This talk is part of the Native American Speaker Series and takes place in conjunction with the course "Issues in the Study of Native American Religions."
Joseph Gone (Aaniiih-Gros Ventre) is Professor of Anthropology and of Global Health and Social Medicine, as well as Faculty Director of the Harvard University Native American Program. He has published over 80 articles on indigenous health and healing in relation to evidence-based mental health practices.
Contact: Tracy Wall.
Tuesday, October 8, 2019, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
Room 116, Rockefeller Hall, 47 Francis Ave.
Eduardo Matos Moctezuma Lecture
The fall 2019 lecture of the Eduardo Matos Moctezuma Lecture Series will be delivered by Diana Magaloni, deputy director, director of conservation, and program director and Dr. Virginia Fields Curator of the Art of the Ancient Americas at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It will take place in Mexico City at 8 pm EDT/7 pm CDT. The lecture is titled “El Códice Florentino y la Creación del Nuevo Mundo" (The Florentine Codex and the Creation of the New World).
This event will be streamed live (link to come). The event is free and open to the public.
The Lecture Series comes out of a collaboration between DRCLAS, Harvard Divinity School, and the Moses Mesoamerican Archive and Research Project of Harvard University. Harvard has received invaluable support for this Inaugural Lecture from Mexico’s Ministry of Culture, through the National Institute of Anthropology and History, the National Museum of Anthropology, and the Templo Mayor Museum.
Contact: Charlene Higbe.
Tuesday, October 8, 2019, 8:00 PM.
Jaime Torres Bodet Auditorium, National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City.
Memorial Gathering for Professor Anne Monius
You are invited to a memorial gathering to celebrate the life of Anne E. Monius, Professor of South Asian Religions. The program, from 1 to 2:30 pm, will include tributes from her colleagues and students, music, and readings. It will be streamed live on the HDS website.
A reception will follow at Loeb House from 2:30 to 4 pm.
A distinguished scholar and engaged as well as engaging teacher, Professor Monius taught for 17 years at Harvard Divinity School, where she specialized in the religious traditions of India. Her research examined the practices and products of literary culture to reconstruct the history of religions in South Asia. Professor Monius passed away much too soon and most unexpectedly in August.
Contact: HDS Dean's Office, 617.495.4513.
Friday, October 11, 2019, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Loeb House, 17 Quincy St. Cambridge.
The Campaigns Against the Protestant Proselytism and Presence in Italy between Fascism and Early Republican Period
Since the Lateran Pacts of 1929, Fascist Regime implemented restrictive rules towards Protestant minorities in Italy and their proselytizing efforts. After the end of the Second World War, Protestant efforts in Italy restarted with even more intensity. To repress these actions and, more in general, to contrast the growth of Protestant presence in Italy, the Christian Democrats’ led governments adopted the old laws and decrees promulgated by Fascism. This lecture aims to underline the continuities and differences in the anti-Protestant policies put in order by Fascist Regime and by the first “centrist” Republican governments.
Paolo Zanini is Researcher (RTD-B) in Contemporary History at the Department of Historical Studies of the University of Milan. Previously, he was Research fellow at the same department, and before this he was adjunct professor of History of Public Opinion at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan.
Contact: CSWR, 617.495.4476.
Tuesday, October 15, 2019, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave.
Growing New Speakers of Indigenous Languages
This talk is part of the Native American Speaker Series and takes place in conjunction with the course "Issues in the Study of Native American Religions."
Marcus Briggs Cloud (Muscogee), HDS ’10 was the youngest native speaker of the Muscogee language until he founded an immersion school that is raising a new generation of native speakers. He is currently a doctoral student at the University of Florida in Ecology.
Contact: Tracy Wall.
Tuesday, October 15, 2019, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, 11 Divinity Ave.
REMNANTS Chapbook Release Party
Please join us for a reading and release party for REMNANTS, Ariella Ruth’s new poetry chapbook from Gesture Press. In this chapbook, Ruth calls a séance and brings back “Barbara Allen” to life from the dust skin of fresh plucked raspberries to recover, revisit, and reimagine this undying muse.
With readings by Ariella Ruth, Mary Balkon, Sherah Bloor, Andrea Davies, Dorie Goehring, Suzannah Lutz, Corey O’Brien, and Terry Tempest Williams.
Ariella Ruth’s work has appeared in Epiphany, Bombay Gin, Yew Journal, The Ocean State Review, and elsewhere. She has a poem published on a sandstone monolith as part of the City of Boulder, Colorado’s Downtown District and the Library and Arts Department’s West Pearl Poetry Project. She received her MFA from the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University, and she works at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School, where she assists in curating programming on the theme of “poetry, philosophy, and religion.” …
Contact: CSWR, 617.495.4476.
Wednesday, October 16, 2019, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM.
Common Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave.
Rabindranath Tagore’s Śāntiniketan (Abode of Peace) Essays
This lecture consists of an exposition into Rabindranath Tagore’s rarely known Śāntiniketan (Abode of Peace) essays which Dr. Bhattacharyya has translated from Bengali into English. Apart from exploring various relevant aspects about Tagore’s Śāntiniketan essays, she will discuss certain predominant themes in these essays such as love, harmonious coexistence of opposites, the finite as a means to reach the Infinite. She will also examine her pioneering analysis connecting Tagore’s thought with Sri Ramakrishna’s concepts of vijñāna and bhāvamukha. The essays are filled with a resonant universal message of humanity and psalms of life which enable humankind to tread the path of life with courage and conviction and ultimately strive to attain the abode of peace.
Dr. Medha Bhattacharyya is an Assistant Professor, Department of Basic Science and Humanities (English) in Bengal Institute of Technology, Kolkata, India. Her book Rabindranath Tagore’s Śāntiniketan Essays: Religion, Spirituality and Philosophy was…
Contact: CSWR, 617.495.4476.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave.
‘Misery Loves Company?’ Radical Failure as the Basis for Transnational Muslim Feminist Solidarity
Alicia Izharuddin (University of Malaya), Visiting Senior Lecturer on Women’s Studies and Islam, will give a lecture entitled “‘Misery Loves Company?’ Radical Failure as the Basis for Transnational Muslim Feminist Solidarity.”.
Thursday, October 24, 2019, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM.
Room 119, 60 Oxford Street.
Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am—Film Screening and Q&A
The recently released documentary Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, is an artful and intimate meditation on the legendary storyteller. The film examines Morrison's life, works, and the powerful themes she has confronted throughout her literary career. It features interviews with Morrison and a number of her peers, critics, and colleagues, including HDS’s Davíd Carrasco, Neil L. Rudenstine Professor of the Study of Latin America.
HDS is hosting a screening of the film. Carrasco will give an introduction, and there there will be a Q&A and panel discussion with Carrasco, director Timothy Greenfield, and film editor Johanna Giebelhaus after the screening.
Contact: Margie Jenkins.
Thursday, October 24, 2019, 4:00 PM.
Paine Hall, 3 Oxford Street, Cambridge.
The International Year of Indigenous Languages: Intellectual Colonialism versus Voices from the Land
This talk is part of the Native American Speaker Series and takes place in conjunction with the course "Issues in the Study of Native American Religions."
Richard Grounds (Yuchi/Seminole), founder and director of the Euchi/ Yuchi Language Project in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, received his PhD from Princeton Seminary. He is co-editor, with David Wilkins and George Tinker, of Native Voices: American Indian Identity and Resistance.
Contact: Tracy Wall.
Tuesday, November 5, 2019, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
Room 116, Rockefeller Hall, 47 Francis Ave.
Like a Woman in Labor: The Ritual and Social Dimensions of Childbirth in the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel
Kerry M. Sonia (Washington and Lee University), Visiting Assistant Professor of Women's Studies and Hebrew Bible, “Like a Woman in Labor: The Ritual and Social Dimensions of Childbirth in the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel.”.
Thursday, November 14, 2019, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM.
Room 119, 60 Oxford.
Morning Prayers
Tamira Stephens, MTS '15, will be the speaker for the Memorial Church Morning Prayers.
Contact: Alfredo Garcia Garza, MDiv candidate, will be the speaker for the Memorial Church Morning Prayers.
Wednesday, November 20, 2019, 8:30 AM – 8:45 AM.
Appleton Chapel, Memorial Church.
Harvard University AAR/SBL Reception 2019
Faculty, students, staff, alumni, colleagues, and friends are cordially invited to attend the Harvard University reception at the AAR/SBL Annual Conference. Guests enter at the Home Plate Gate.
Visit the AAR/SBL website to see more events taking place at the conference.
Contact: Margie Jenkins.
Saturday, November 23, 2019, 9:00 PM – 11:00 PM.
Petco Park, 100 Park Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101.