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Islam in Africa Lecture Series: Critical Perspectives on the Development and Dynamics of Islam in Africa

Lecture by Amadu Kunateh Candidate in Religion, Harvard University and author of Evil Innovation: Sheikh Ibrahim Niasse and the Reception of Islamic Theosophy in Modern Sub-Saharan Africa. Given as part of the Islam in Africa Initiative: Critical Perspectives on the Development and Dynamics of Islam in Africa. Lunch will be provided. Sponsor: Harvard Divinity School, Harvard FAS Department of African and African American Studies, Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program. Contact: Professor Ousmane Kane. Friday, March 29, 2024, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Room 117, Rockefeller Hall, 47 Francis Ave.

Public Reading of Scripture

Please join the HLS Program on Biblical Law and Christian Legal Studies as we gather in person every Monday from 12:00pm – 1:00pm ET (PRS @ HDS, Garvin Room in Swartz Hall). The Public Reading of Scripture (PRS) is a biblical practice where we read and listen to the Bible together, reflecting on timeless and eternal truths in community. Each week begins and ends with a Psalm. After praying a Psalm, we listen to passages from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Lunch is provided. You will have the opportunity to RSVP for lunch each week you plan to attend. Please subscribe to our email list to RSVP. Sponsor: HLS Program on Biblical Law and Christian Legal Studies. Contact: studentlife@hds.harvard.edu. Monday, April 1, 2024, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. Garvin Room, Swartz Hall 118, 45 Francis Ave. For more info visit pblcls.law.harvard.edu.

HDS Buddhist Community Weekly Practice

This is the community mainstay of HDS Buddhist Community which will include a Buddhist practice and community building hybrid session weekly. This semester (Spring 2024) will be led by Venerables Tenzin Gyurney and Dorjey Dolma in Tibetan Buddhist practices. All sessions are open to to all, no prior experience is required and all necessary materials and information is provided each session. Sponsor: HDS Buddhist Community. Contact: studentlife@hds.harvard.edu. Monday, April 1, 2024, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM. Multifaith Space, Swartz Hall 214, 45 Francis Ave.

Psychedelics Reading Group

Are psychedelics going to save religion? What ethical and moral questions surround psychedelic use, especially for substances which have roots in ancient or indigenous traditions? Who gets to decide what is real vs. hallucination—and how do psychedelics challenge our answers?   This year-long reading and learning group will address these and many other questions shaping the study of psychedelic spirituality—questions that are increasingly urgent for religious scholars, practitioners, and policy makers as we enter new legal landscapes. Through text-based weeks and experiential field trips, participants will explore diverse topics including the psychedelic underground, indigenous traditions using psychedelics, cults, metaphysics, and decolonization. This group will be working in concert with a spring CSWR psychedelics conference and participants will be able to collaborate on that event. Sponsor: Center for the Study of World Religions. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, Event Coordinator, CSWR ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu (617)495-4476 Jeff Breau - jeffreybreau@hds.harvard.edu Paul Gillis-Smith - pgillissmith@hds.harvard.edu. Tuesday, April 2, 2024, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM. 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA CSWR Conference Room.

Thinking with Plants and Fungi: Learning Harvard’s Plants and Fungi: A campus walk with Prof. Don Pfister

This event is free and open to current Harvard affiliates. Registration is required.   Please join the “Thinking with Plants and Fungi Initiative” of the CSWR as we walk Harvard’s campus with Professor Don Pfister to learn about the species that comprise our community.  Don Pfister is the Asa Gray Research Professor of Systematic Botany and Curator of the Farlow Library and Herbarium, Emeritus. At Harvard he served in many roles including Faculty Dean at Kirkland House, Dean of the Harvard Summer School, Interim Dean of Harvard College and Director of the Harvard University Herbaria. His research has focused on the classification and diversity of fungi, history of collections and collectors of biological materials. He has done field work in many regions around the world, most recently in southern South America. He has taught courses ranging from the biology of fungi to plants used by people to forests and climate change. At home he enjoys working a large and varied garden. Before Harvard he was an assistant… Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Sponsor: Center for the Study of World Religions. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, Event Coordinator, CSWR (617)495-4476. Tuesday, April 2, 2024, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM. Harvard Herbaria, 22 Divinity Ave. Cambridge, Ma. For more info visit harvard.az1.qualtrics.com.

25th Anniversary Lecture and Roundtable on Kelly Brown Douglas’s Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective (1999)

This event is free and open to the public. No registration required. Agenda: 5:00PM      Welcome and Introductions , 5:15PM      Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas Lecture , 5:45PM      Roundtable Discussion , 6:30PM      Response from Dr. Douglas , 6:45PM      Q&A , 7:30PM      Event Conclusion, Event description:  2024 marks the 25th anniversary of womanist theologian Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas’s field-defining book — Sexuality and the Black Church: A Womanist Perspective (1999) — a landmark text that ushered in a new wave of theological and religious discourse on Black sexuality within and beyond Black Protestant churches that sought to attend to a culture of fear and silence in the wake of the AIDS epidemic. The Black Religion and Sexuality Colloquium, through the generous sponsorship of the Harvard Gender and Sexuality Caucus, presents this anniversary lecture by Dr. Douglas on the book coupled with a roundtable discussion between Dr. Douglas and Drs. Eboni Marshall Turman, Brandon Thomas Crowley, Stephan… Sponsor: Harvard Gender and Sexuality Caucus, Harvard Divinity School, and Religion and Public Life at HDS. Contact: div-faculty_coordinators@calists.harvard.edu. Tuesday, April 2, 2024, 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM. Preston N. Williams Chapel, Swartz Hall, 45 Francis Ave.

Harry Potter and the Sacred Text @HDS

We gather weekly to engage with the Harry Potter books as sacred texts. We do not claim that these stories are inherently sacred. Rather, sacredness emerges through our intentional reading, bringing rigor, faith that the text will continue to give us new gifts, and a commitment to reading in community.     We acknowledge that J.K. Rowling is responsible for harmful, transphobic statements and actions, and that the texts are themselves imperfect. We as a community love and celebrate people of all gender identities and expressions, and strive to create an affirming and welcoming space for all as we grapple with these stories.     All are welcome to join, for one session or many! Sponsor: Harry Potter and the Sacred Text @HDS. Contact: studentlife@hds.harvard.edu. Wednesday, April 3, 2024, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM. Multifaith Space, Swartz Hall 214, 45 Francis Ave.

The Passions of Aisha: Women, Trauma, and Jinn Possession in Morocco

This event is free and open to the public.   Join online for this lecture given by Visiting Associate Professor of Women’s Studies and Islam, Z. Fareen Parvez (University of Massachusetts, Amherst). Lunch will be provided. Sponsor: Women's Studies in Religion Program. Contact: wsrp@hds.harvard.edu. Thursday, April 4, 2024, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM. James Room East.

Plant (and Fungi) Consciousness Reading Group

Do plants think? Do fungi dream? What can the more-than-human world teach us about the nature of mind? Recent scientific research has shed light on the sophisticated ways in which plants and fungi sense, make sense of, and interact with the world. Alongside these discoveries is a wave of interest in the “more-than-human” humanities. This scholarship raises fundamental questions about the nature of the human and the non-human: what is mind, where does it extend, and how? What is matter, and what does it mean to label it “animate” or “inanimate”? How do plants and fungi trouble our understanding of “thinking,” and perhaps cause us to reconsider what it means to be human? This year-long reading group will explore these questions and more, engaging works from leading thinkers such as Emanuele Coccia, Monica Gagliano, Suzanne Simard, Michael Marder, and more. Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Sponsor: Center for the Study of World Religions. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, Event Coordinator, CSWR, (617) 495-4476. Thursday, April 4, 2024, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM. Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave.

The Chicanx Enigma: Ancestors, Borderlands, Chronicles, Learning

Register to attend this event. Over the last sixty years, my community in San Antonio, Texas has gone by many names—Mexicano, Tejano, and “Meskins;” Americans of Mexican descent, Mexican Americans, La Raza, Chicana/Chicano; and most recently Chicanx, and Chicané. Each of these cascading terms, refractions in an opaque (smoking?) mirror, marked chapters in a community’s ever-unfolding story of itself. They were partly martialed in resistance to an often inhospitable and exclusionary environment in South Texas, but more importantly, they represent urgent improvisations on the deep, still largely unknown origin story out of which we emerged, the epic of Mexico and the meeting of worlds that took place there between the Spanish and Indigenous worlds, resulting in the emergence of New Spain and a new Mestizo people. If there is a destination for all of this protean re-naming of ourselves, it’s still coming to light. San Antonio, a great American city and an ancient sanctuary of myriad Indigenous peoples, was fo… Sponsor: Moses Mesoamerican Archive at Harvard University and David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies. Contact: drclas@fas.harvard.edu. Thursday, April 4, 2024, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM. S250, CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge St. Cambridge. For more info visit www.eventbrite.com.

Psychedelics and the Future of Religion: Book Talk: Ayahuasca as Liquid Divinity: An Ontological Approach with André van der Braak

Registration required:  The CSWR invites Andre van der Braak into conversation about his recent book, Ayahuasca as Liquid Divinity. In this text, van der Braak invites readers to assess the import of ayahuasca on ontological terms. Shifting away from common treatments of psychedelics in terms of individual experience, van der Braak proposes that ayahuasca-based ritual practices are intended to cultivate relationships with more-than-human powers. Van der Braak puts Bruno Latour’s concept of other-than-human persons as “beings of transformation and religion” into conversation with Neoplatonism to argue for an ayahuasca religiosity that facilitates our companionship with the gods as a means of practicing solidarity with all sentient beings.     André van der Braak is professor of Professor of Comparative Philosophy of Religion at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. He is also a certified Zen Buddhist teacher in the lineage of Maha Karuna Chan. He is the project leader of a research project on multiple religious be… Programming Series: Psychedelics and the Future of Religion. Transcendence and Transformation. Sponsor: Center for the Study of World Religions. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, Event Coordinator, CSWR (617)495-4476. Thursday, April 4, 2024, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM. Zoom. For more info visit harvard.zoom.us.

Islam in Africa Lecture Series: Critical Perspectives on the Development and Dynamics of Islam in Africa

Lecture by Djelimory Diabate Ph.D candidate in Religion, Harvard University and author of "From Tradition to Transformation: Al-Ḥājj ʿUmar Tāl and the Evolution of West African Islamic Political Philosophy." Given as part of the Islam in Africa Initiative: Critical Perspectives on the Development and Dynamics of Islam in Africa. Lunch will be provided. Sponsor: Harvard Divinity School, Harvard FAS Department of African and African American Studies, Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program. Contact: Professor Ousmane Kane. Friday, April 5, 2024, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Room 117, Rockefeller Hall, 47 Francis Ave.

A Long Way From Heaven: The Rainbow Y Story (Film Screening)

Registration required:  Harvard Divinity School Mormonisms and HDS Queer Rites clubs are collaborating to bring the film, "A Long Way From Heaven: The Rainbow Y Story" to Harvard's campus on April 5th, 6:30 pm in the Sperry Room at Swartz Hall, 45 Francis Ave. This documentary explores the history and experiences of LGBTQ+ students at Brigham Young University. Presented in collaboration with Color the Campus and the filmmakers, this screening is open to Harvard community members; because space is limited, registration is required. Pizza will be served! * Content Warning * This documentary discusses difficult topics like suicide, conversion therapy, abuse, and sexual assault. Individuals who have experienced or may be experiencing similar situations may find this film triggering. For more information on this event, email hdsmormonisms@gmail.com. Sponsor: HDS Queer Rites & HDS Mormonisms. Contact: hdsmormonisms@gmail.com. Friday, April 5, 2024, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM. Sperry Room, Swartz Hall 117, 45 Francis Ave. For more info visit forms.gle.

Public Reading of Scripture

Please join the HLS Program on Biblical Law and Christian Legal Studies as we gather in person every Monday from 12:00pm – 1:00pm ET (PRS @ HDS, Garvin Room in Swartz Hall). The Public Reading of Scripture (PRS) is a biblical practice where we read and listen to the Bible together, reflecting on timeless and eternal truths in community. Each week begins and ends with a Psalm. After praying a Psalm, we listen to passages from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Lunch is provided. You will have the opportunity to RSVP for lunch each week you plan to attend. Please subscribe to our email list to RSVP. Sponsor: HLS Program on Biblical Law and Christian Legal Studies. Contact: studentlife@hds.harvard.edu. Monday, April 8, 2024, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. Garvin Room, Swartz Hall 118, 45 Francis Ave. For more info visit pblcls.law.harvard.edu.

RCPI Spring 2024 Book Series: Stranger in My Own Land: Palestine, Israel and One Family's Story of Home

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.  This book talk will feature “Stranger in My Own Land: Palestine, Israel and One Family's Story of Home,” a memoir by Palestinian writer Fida Jiryis. “Stranger in My Own Land” chronicles a desperate, at times surreal, search for a homeland between the Galilee, the West Bank and the diaspora. The book is a tale of conflict, exodus, occupation, return, and search for belonging, narrated through Jiryis’s personal experience with displacement. In the book, Jiryis asks difficult questions about what the right of return would mean for the millions of Palestinians waiting to come ‘home’. Featuring Fida Jiryis, Palestinian writer and editor Moderated by Sara Roy, Associate of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies Co-sponsored by the Middle East Forum at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard. Sponsor: Religion and Public Life's Religion, Conflict and Peace Initiative, and the Middle East Forum at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard. Contact: rpl@hds.harvard.edu. Monday, April 8, 2024, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM. Zoom Webinar. For more info visit harvard.zoom.us.

HDS Buddhist Community Weekly Practice

This is the community mainstay of HDS Buddhist Community which will include a Buddhist practice and community building hybrid session weekly. This semester (Spring 2024) will be led by Venerables Tenzin Gyurney and Dorjey Dolma in Tibetan Buddhist practices. All sessions are open to to all, no prior experience is required and all necessary materials and information is provided each session. Sponsor: HDS Buddhist Community. Contact: studentlife@hds.harvard.edu. Monday, April 8, 2024, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM. Multifaith Space, Swartz Hall 214, 45 Francis Ave.

The Thunder, Perfect Mind: Lecture and Performance

This event is free and open to the public.  Registration is required. Register to attend in person.   Register to attend on Zoom.  Please join us for a special evening celebrating the ancient poem, "The Thunder, Perfect Mind," which survives only in a single fourth-century Coptic manuscript, discovered in 1945 as part of the Nag Hammadi library. The poem is written in the first-person voice of a divine female speaker who is person and principle, power and paradox. The speaker's voice continues to beguile and bewilder us to this day, as we imagine it did when it was first composed.  Event Program  Performative Reading of "The Thunder, Perfect Mind" by performer Shadi Ghaheri. , A Voice of Radical Acceptance for Troubled Times: An Introduction to Thunder Perfect Mind, Prof. Karen King  , Musical Composition, by Julian Bennett Holmes, "The Name of the Sound and the Sound of the Name" (2024) , What is the sound of silence?: The Thunder: Perfect Mind and ancient philosophy of language, Dr. Tilde Bak Halvgaard … Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Sponsor: Center for the Study of World Religions. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, Event Coordinator, CSWR (617)495-4476. Tuesday, April 9, 2024, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM. James Room, Swartz Hall 45 Francis Ave. For more info visit cswr.hds.harvard.edu.

Gnoseologies: Magic in the United States. A conversation with Dr. Heather Freeman

Registration required:  Magic in the United States is a new podcast examining how magic, religion, spirituality, and folk practices intersect with larger cultural conflicts in American history. Funded by an NEH grant and produced and distributed by PRX, this podcast brings the history of American magical, magickal, and 'magical' practices to diverse audiences in the U.S. and abroad. Dr. Heather Freeman is the host and writer of Magic in the United States and will discuss how this podcast is both a lovesong to communities of magical practitioners, an effort to inspire greater religious curiosity and literacy in the U.S. and her own interests in the ever-evolving landscape of magico-religious practices. Heather D. Freeman is a Professor of Art in Digital Media in the Department of Art & Art History at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She holds an MFA in Studio Art from Rutgers University and a BA in Fine Art and German Studies from Oberlin College. Additionally, Freeman is the host and writer… Programming Series: Gnoseologies. Transcendence and Transformation. Sponsor: Center for the Study of World Religions. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, Event Coordinator, CSWR (617)495-4476. Wednesday, April 10, 2024, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM. Zoom. For more info visit harvard.zoom.us.

An Evening with Twinkie Clark

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required to attend this event.  Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and legendary gospel artist Twinkie Clark will talk about her musical journey and perform music from her catalog of over 350 songs. Scholars Charrise Barron, Assistant Professor of Music at Harvard University, and Damien Sneed, Associate Professor in the Department of Music at Howard University, will facilitate the conversation with Twinkie Clark which will illuminate the motivations and milestones of her music career and explore key elements of her signature sound. The evening will culminate in a recital in which Twinkie Clark, a Hammond Organ Hall of Fame member, will perform on the Hammond B-3 organ. Sponsor: Harvard Divinity School, Harvard FAS Department of Music, Yamaha, and Hammond. Contact: Leslie MacPherson. Wednesday, April 10, 2024, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM. James Room, Swartz Hall, 45 Francis Ave. (Registration required. See link in event description.). For more info visit harvard.az1.qualtrics.com.

Harry Potter and the Sacred Text @HDS

We gather weekly to engage with the Harry Potter books as sacred texts. We do not claim that these stories are inherently sacred. Rather, sacredness emerges through our intentional reading, bringing rigor, faith that the text will continue to give us new gifts, and a commitment to reading in community.     We acknowledge that J.K. Rowling is responsible for harmful, transphobic statements and actions, and that the texts are themselves imperfect. We as a community love and celebrate people of all gender identities and expressions, and strive to create an affirming and welcoming space for all as we grapple with these stories.     All are welcome to join, for one session or many! Sponsor: Harry Potter and the Sacred Text @HDS. Contact: studentlife@hds.harvard.edu. Wednesday, April 10, 2024, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM. Multifaith Space, Swartz Hall 214, 45 Francis Ave.

Reading Group: Microdosing Zarathustra (Every other Thu, beginning 2/1)

This reading group meets every other Thursday from 12-2pm beginning February 1, 2024. Thus Spoke Zarathustra is many things—poetry, polemic, philosophy, even farce. Its author, Friedrich Nietzsche, called Zarathustra a “holy book” or “fifth gospel,” something he was incapable of reading even a single page of without bursting into tears. This spring, our reading group will seek to understand Zarathustra on its own terms. What sort of work is this book that Nietzsche claimed was both “for all and for none?” How does Zarathustra speak to us now—as authoritarianism is on the rise across the world, as environmental crises deepen, and as experiences of social alienation and disenchantment intensify? And perhaps most importantly, what does Zarathustra require from us, its readers, to gain the instruction it promises?   The assumption of this reading group is that an adequate encounter with Zarathustra will entail modes of engagement and reflection that may deviate—sometimes radically—from conventional academic… Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Sponsor: Center for the Study of World Religions. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, Event Coordinator, CSWR (617)495-4476. Thursday, April 11, 2024, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM. Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave.

Explorations in World Christianity

The Yang Visiting Scholars in World Christianity program brings distinguished senior and junior scholars of world Christianity to Harvard Divinity School each year, opening up fresh perspectives, particularly from the global south.   This will be a discussion led by David N. Hempton, Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor and Alonzo L. McDonald Family Professor of Evangelical Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School. Professor Hempton will lead a conversation with this year’s Yang Visiting Scholars, Nathanael Homewood, Tom Santa Maria, and Gina A. Zurlo. Each scholar will give a brief presentation of their work and how it contributes to the study of World Christianity, followed by a group discussion.   We hope that you will be able to join us and bring your own perspectives and questions to this fruitful and engaging panel discussion. Sponsor: Yang Scholars Program. Contact: Office of Academic Affairs. Religious tradition: Christian Ecumenical. Thursday, April 11, 2024, 4:00 PM. James Room West, Swartz Hall, 45 Francis Ave.

Islam in Africa Lecture Series: Critical Perspectives on the Development and Dynamics of Islam in Africa

Lecture by Francesco Piraino, Research Associate at the Center for the Study of World Religions - Harvard Divinity School Director of the Centre for Comparative Studies of Civilizations and Spiritualities at the Cini Foundation in Venice and author of, "Blackness and Universality: Reshaping Race and Otherness through Art and Sufism" Given as part of the Islam in Africa Initiative: Critical Perspectives on the Development and Dynamics of Islam in Africa. Lunch will be provided. Sponsor: Harvard Divinity School, Harvard FAS Department of African and African American Studies, Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program. Contact: Professor Ousmane Kane. Friday, April 12, 2024, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Room 117, Rockefeller Hall, 47 Francis Ave.

Public Reading of Scripture

Please join the HLS Program on Biblical Law and Christian Legal Studies as we gather in person every Monday from 12:00pm – 1:00pm ET (PRS @ HDS, Garvin Room in Swartz Hall). The Public Reading of Scripture (PRS) is a biblical practice where we read and listen to the Bible together, reflecting on timeless and eternal truths in community. Each week begins and ends with a Psalm. After praying a Psalm, we listen to passages from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Lunch is provided. You will have the opportunity to RSVP for lunch each week you plan to attend. Please subscribe to our email list to RSVP. Sponsor: HLS Program on Biblical Law and Christian Legal Studies. Contact: studentlife@hds.harvard.edu. Monday, April 15, 2024, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. Garvin Room, Swartz Hall 118, 45 Francis Ave. For more info visit pblcls.law.harvard.edu.

HDS Buddhist Community Weekly Practice

This is the community mainstay of HDS Buddhist Community which will include a Buddhist practice and community building hybrid session weekly. This semester (Spring 2024) will be led by Venerables Tenzin Gyurney and Dorjey Dolma in Tibetan Buddhist practices. All sessions are open to to all, no prior experience is required and all necessary materials and information is provided each session. Sponsor: HDS Buddhist Community. Contact: studentlife@hds.harvard.edu. Monday, April 15, 2024, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM. Multifaith Space, Swartz Hall 214, 45 Francis Ave.

Displacement and Belonging in Israel/Palestine: Student Stories of Learning in Context

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required, and a form of ID will be required at the door.  Join students from the 2023 "Learning in Context: Narratives of Displacement and Belonging in Israel/Palestine" cohort in an evening of storytelling, poetry, and photography as they share their experiences of joy and resistance from their summer in Israel/Palestine. Come with questions and an open mind in this student-led reflection on the complexities of religion, politics, activism, and art intertwined through this region. Please register by Thursday, 4/11 at noon if you are able to join us as food will be provided. Registration is still accepted up till the event. Sponsor: Religion and Public Life and the Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative. Contact: rpl@hds.harvard.edu. Monday, April 15, 2024, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM. James Room East, Swartz Hall, Room 120. For more info visit harvard.az1.qualtrics.com.

Africana Religions and Healing in the American South Public Symposium

More details to come. Please check back. Sponsor: HDS Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Contact: Professor Tracey E. Hucks or Associate Dean Melissa Wood Bartholomew. Tuesday, April 16, 2024, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM. Williams Chapel, Swartz Hall, 45 Francis Ave.

Psychedelics Reading Group

Are psychedelics going to save religion? What ethical and moral questions surround psychedelic use, especially for substances which have roots in ancient or indigenous traditions? Who gets to decide what is real vs. hallucination—and how do psychedelics challenge our answers?   This year-long reading and learning group will address these and many other questions shaping the study of psychedelic spirituality—questions that are increasingly urgent for religious scholars, practitioners, and policy makers as we enter new legal landscapes. Through text-based weeks and experiential field trips, participants will explore diverse topics including the psychedelic underground, indigenous traditions using psychedelics, cults, metaphysics, and decolonization. This group will be working in concert with a spring CSWR psychedelics conference and participants will be able to collaborate on that event. Sponsor: Center for the Study of World Religions. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, Event Coordinator, CSWR ldsedgwick@hds.harvard.edu (617)495-4476 Jeff Breau - jeffreybreau@hds.harvard.edu Paul Gillis-Smith - pgillissmith@hds.harvard.edu. Tuesday, April 16, 2024, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM. 42 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA CSWR Conference Room.

Harry Potter and the Sacred Text @HDS

We gather weekly to engage with the Harry Potter books as sacred texts. We do not claim that these stories are inherently sacred. Rather, sacredness emerges through our intentional reading, bringing rigor, faith that the text will continue to give us new gifts, and a commitment to reading in community.     We acknowledge that J.K. Rowling is responsible for harmful, transphobic statements and actions, and that the texts are themselves imperfect. We as a community love and celebrate people of all gender identities and expressions, and strive to create an affirming and welcoming space for all as we grapple with these stories.     All are welcome to join, for one session or many! Sponsor: Harry Potter and the Sacred Text @HDS. Contact: studentlife@hds.harvard.edu. Wednesday, April 17, 2024, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM. Multifaith Space, Swartz Hall 214, 45 Francis Ave.

Film Screening: U.S. Premiere of Lyd and Discussion with the Filmmakers

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required as seating is limited. Please submit one registration form per person.  Doors will open at 6:30 pm. Religion and Public Life’s Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative at Harvard Divinity School presents the U.S. premiere of Lyd. Lyd is an award-winning, sci-fi documentary that tells the story of a 5,000-year-old bustling Palestinian city that once connected Palestine to the world, until it was conquered when the State of Israel was established in 1948. The film follows the rise and fall of the city, tracing what Lyd once was, what it is now, and what it could have become. As Lyd unfolds, a chorus of characters creates a tapestry of the Palestinian experience and the trauma left by massacre and expulsion. Using vivid animations and the language of speculative fiction, the film envisions an alternate reality where the same documentary characters live free from the trauma of the past and the violence of the present. A moderated panel… Sponsor: This event is co-sponsored by Religion and Public Life's Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative, The Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University, and the Palestine Program for Health and Human Rights at the FXB Center, Harvard University. Contact: rpl@hds.harvard.edu. Wednesday, April 17, 2024, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Harvard University Science Center Hall D. For more info visit harvard.az1.qualtrics.com.

Liberating Orthodoxy: Feminism, Faith, and Divine Otherness

This event is free and open to the public.   Join online for this lecture given by Visiting Associate Professor of Women’s Studies and Theology,  Ashley M. Purpura (Purdue University). Lunch will be provided. Sponsor: Women's Studies in Religion Program. Contact: wsrp@hds.harvard.edu. Thursday, April 18, 2024, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. TBD.

Plant (and Fungi) Consciousness Reading Group

Do plants think? Do fungi dream? What can the more-than-human world teach us about the nature of mind? Recent scientific research has shed light on the sophisticated ways in which plants and fungi sense, make sense of, and interact with the world. Alongside these discoveries is a wave of interest in the “more-than-human” humanities. This scholarship raises fundamental questions about the nature of the human and the non-human: what is mind, where does it extend, and how? What is matter, and what does it mean to label it “animate” or “inanimate”? How do plants and fungi trouble our understanding of “thinking,” and perhaps cause us to reconsider what it means to be human? This year-long reading group will explore these questions and more, engaging works from leading thinkers such as Emanuele Coccia, Monica Gagliano, Suzanne Simard, Michael Marder, and more. Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Sponsor: Center for the Study of World Religions. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, Event Coordinator, CSWR, (617) 495-4476. Thursday, April 18, 2024, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM. Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave.

Raisa Tolchinsky Presenting Glass Jaw: Poems in Conversation with Annette Yoshiko Reed

Harvard Book Store welcomes Raisa Tolchinsky, MRPL '24—poet and boxer—for a discussion of her debut poetry collection Glass Jaw. She will be joined in conversation by Annette Yoshiko Reed—Krister Stendahl Professor of Divinity and Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at HDS and Muay Thai fighter.  About Glass Jaw Striking and big-hearted, Glass Jaw depicts the grit and glamor of women’s boxing based on the poet's time training as a fighter in New York City. Beginning on the ropes, fighting back against the limitations of gender, Raisa Tolchinsky situates us within the dynamic context of the boxing gym, through both a chorus of named women boxers and a single fighter battling for her selfhood. In a Dantean reimagining, we follow the boxer as she descends into the hellish “rings” of an abusive relationship with her coach. In a count-down from 34 to 1, sputtering at times, the fighter gets closer and closer to the heart of her brutal, solitary metamorphosis. Winner of the 2022 Lexi Rudnitsky First… Sponsor: Harvard Book Store. Contact: info@harvard.com. Thursday, April 18, 2024, 7:00 PM. Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge. For more info visit www.harvard.com.

Public Reading of Scripture

Please join the HLS Program on Biblical Law and Christian Legal Studies as we gather in person every Monday from 12:00pm – 1:00pm ET (PRS @ HDS, Garvin Room in Swartz Hall). The Public Reading of Scripture (PRS) is a biblical practice where we read and listen to the Bible together, reflecting on timeless and eternal truths in community. Each week begins and ends with a Psalm. After praying a Psalm, we listen to passages from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Lunch is provided. You will have the opportunity to RSVP for lunch each week you plan to attend. Please subscribe to our email list to RSVP. Sponsor: HLS Program on Biblical Law and Christian Legal Studies. Contact: studentlife@hds.harvard.edu. Monday, April 22, 2024, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. Garvin Room, Swartz Hall 118, 45 Francis Ave. For more info visit pblcls.law.harvard.edu.

HDS Buddhist Community Weekly Practice

This is the community mainstay of HDS Buddhist Community which will include a Buddhist practice and community building hybrid session weekly. This semester (Spring 2024) will be led by Venerables Tenzin Gyurney and Dorjey Dolma in Tibetan Buddhist practices. All sessions are open to to all, no prior experience is required and all necessary materials and information is provided each session. Sponsor: HDS Buddhist Community. Contact: studentlife@hds.harvard.edu. Monday, April 22, 2024, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM. Multifaith Space, Swartz Hall 214, 45 Francis Ave.

Compassion in Action: Addressing Discrimination Through the Lens of Buddhist Teachings

Join Tibetan Buddhist master H.E. Ling Rinpoche for a teaching on the ways that we can embody the power of compassion and wisdom to uproot discrimination and bigotry. All are welcome to attend this rare opportunity to experience the teachings of Buddhism from a representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.    Bio, His Eminence the 7th Kyabjé Yongzin Ling Rinpoche is the reincarnation of the senior tutor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He entered Drepung Monastery in India in 1990 and completed all of his Buddhist studies and training by 2017. He is one of the few religious figures in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition who represents His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and he travels widely around the globe giving teachings. Sponsor: Sponsored by the Buddhist Ministry Initiative. Contact: jmakransky@hds.harvard.edu. Tuesday, April 23, 2024, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM. Sperry Room, Swartz Hall.

Program for the Evolution of Spirituality Annual Conference: Alternative Spiritualities of Celebration, Resistance, and Accountability

Harvard Divinity School’s Program for the Evolution of Spirituality is delighted to announce that our spring 2024 conference will be organized around the theme of “Alternative Spiritualities of Celebration, Resistance, and Accountability: Engaging Our Colonial and Decolonial Contexts.” Our conference will explore the many ways in which spiritual practices, especially those from beyond the religious mainstream, mirror and resist the imperial contexts in which they are rooted. It will feature practitioners and scholars who identify as Indigenous, Diasporic, Settler, and/or Immigrant in a dialogue that works toward spiritual traditions characterized by solidarity and mutual transformation rather than colonial violence. More information will be available here later in 2024. For more information visit the Program for the Evolution of Spirituality webpage. Sponsor: HDS Program for the Evolution of Spirituality. Contact: Professor Dan McKanan. Wednesday, April 24, 2024 – Saturday, April 27, 2024. Swartz Hall, 45 Francis Ave. Cambridge, MA.

Harry Potter and the Sacred Text @HDS

We gather weekly to engage with the Harry Potter books as sacred texts. We do not claim that these stories are inherently sacred. Rather, sacredness emerges through our intentional reading, bringing rigor, faith that the text will continue to give us new gifts, and a commitment to reading in community.     We acknowledge that J.K. Rowling is responsible for harmful, transphobic statements and actions, and that the texts are themselves imperfect. We as a community love and celebrate people of all gender identities and expressions, and strive to create an affirming and welcoming space for all as we grapple with these stories.     All are welcome to join, for one session or many! Sponsor: Harry Potter and the Sacred Text @HDS. Contact: studentlife@hds.harvard.edu. Wednesday, April 24, 2024, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM. Multifaith Space, Swartz Hall 214, 45 Francis Ave.

Reading Group: Microdosing Zarathustra (Every other Thu, beginning 2/1)

This reading group meets every other Thursday from 12-2pm beginning February 1, 2024. Thus Spoke Zarathustra is many things—poetry, polemic, philosophy, even farce. Its author, Friedrich Nietzsche, called Zarathustra a “holy book” or “fifth gospel,” something he was incapable of reading even a single page of without bursting into tears. This spring, our reading group will seek to understand Zarathustra on its own terms. What sort of work is this book that Nietzsche claimed was both “for all and for none?” How does Zarathustra speak to us now—as authoritarianism is on the rise across the world, as environmental crises deepen, and as experiences of social alienation and disenchantment intensify? And perhaps most importantly, what does Zarathustra require from us, its readers, to gain the instruction it promises?   The assumption of this reading group is that an adequate encounter with Zarathustra will entail modes of engagement and reflection that may deviate—sometimes radically—from conventional academic… Programming Series: Transcendence and Transformation. Sponsor: Center for the Study of World Religions. Contact: Laurie D. Sedgwick, Event Coordinator, CSWR (617)495-4476. Thursday, April 25, 2024, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM. Conference Room, CSWR, 42 Francis Ave.

Public Reading of Scripture

Please join the HLS Program on Biblical Law and Christian Legal Studies as we gather in person every Monday from 12:00pm – 1:00pm ET (PRS @ HDS, Garvin Room in Swartz Hall). The Public Reading of Scripture (PRS) is a biblical practice where we read and listen to the Bible together, reflecting on timeless and eternal truths in community. Each week begins and ends with a Psalm. After praying a Psalm, we listen to passages from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Lunch is provided. You will have the opportunity to RSVP for lunch each week you plan to attend. Please subscribe to our email list to RSVP. Sponsor: HLS Program on Biblical Law and Christian Legal Studies. Contact: studentlife@hds.harvard.edu. Monday, April 29, 2024, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. Garvin Room, Swartz Hall 118, 45 Francis Ave. For more info visit pblcls.law.harvard.edu.

HDS Buddhist Community Weekly Practice

This is the community mainstay of HDS Buddhist Community which will include a Buddhist practice and community building hybrid session weekly. This semester (Spring 2024) will be led by Venerables Tenzin Gyurney and Dorjey Dolma in Tibetan Buddhist practices. All sessions are open to to all, no prior experience is required and all necessary materials and information is provided each session. Sponsor: HDS Buddhist Community. Contact: studentlife@hds.harvard.edu. Monday, April 29, 2024, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM. Multifaith Space, Swartz Hall 214, 45 Francis Ave.

Harry Potter and the Sacred Text @HDS

We gather weekly to engage with the Harry Potter books as sacred texts. We do not claim that these stories are inherently sacred. Rather, sacredness emerges through our intentional reading, bringing rigor, faith that the text will continue to give us new gifts, and a commitment to reading in community.     We acknowledge that J.K. Rowling is responsible for harmful, transphobic statements and actions, and that the texts are themselves imperfect. We as a community love and celebrate people of all gender identities and expressions, and strive to create an affirming and welcoming space for all as we grapple with these stories.     All are welcome to join, for one session or many! Sponsor: Harry Potter and the Sacred Text @HDS. Contact: studentlife@hds.harvard.edu. Wednesday, May 1, 2024, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM. Multifaith Space, Swartz Hall 214, 45 Francis Ave.

Peter J Gomes STB ’68 Distinguished Alumni Honors

Sahar Shahid, MDiv ’17, and the members of the HDS Alumni/Alumnae Council are pleased to invite fellow graduates and the School community to celebrate Peter J Gomes STB ’68 Distinguished Alumni Honors and our theme of Journeys of the Soul.    This year, we seek to honor those who, across various systems of belief, delve into the soul's journey in this life and beyond and are committed to practices that foster connection with the transcendent.   More information about this year’s program and honorees will be coming soon! Sponsor: Harvard Divinity School Office of Development and External Relations. Contact: alums@hds.harvard.edu. Thursday, May 9, 2024, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM. Swartz Hall, Harvard Divinity School, 45 Francis Ave.

Summer Language Program

Harvard Divinity School's Summer Language Program (SLP) has been in existence since 1960. It is an eight-week, intensive program in language study designed specifically for the curriculum in theological and religious studies taught with a focus on translation and reading comprehension in the foreign language. The SLP supports the mission of HDS and the education of our students by allowing them the opportunity to engage in language study designed specifically for the curriculum in theology and religious studies. Summer language study enriches students' ongoing course work and grounds them for future work in academia and ministry. The program does not grant degrees. However, students who are admitted to an HDS degree program may count SLP courses toward the course requirements under the normal course restrictions of their program, including specific language study limitations. Sponsor: Harvard Divinity School. Contact: slp@hds.harvard.edu. Monday, June 10, 2024 – Thursday, August 1, 2024. Online. For more info visit hds.harvard.edu.