Department News
Professor Thomas Curates "American Religion, Inside Out"
Professor Thomas has curated a collection of essays as an online journal supplement for American Religion.
Professor Robb Awarded Fulbright Research Chair in South Asian Islam
The U.S. Department of State and the J.
Professor Robb Speaks at the Society for the Promotion of Urdu (India)
Professor Robb will speak for the Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu (Hind) or the Society for the Promotion of Urdu (India) on Friday, January 29th at 11:30 PM Eastern Standard Time.
Professor Schaefer at the Classical Ideas Podcast
Professor Schaefer was recently interviewed about his book Religious Affects at the Classical Ideas Podcast.
Professor Thomas on Religious Freedom at the Berkley Forum
Professor Thomas wrote an essay for the Berkley Forum on how the incoming Biden administration can handle the topic of international religious freedom. Here's the start of his piece:
Professor Durmaz Reflects on Teaching at Ancient Jew Review
Professor Durmaz talked about having students write biographies of objects in her "Religions of the West" course for Ancient Jew Review. Here's an excerpt, link below:
Prof. Butler Awarded Major Grant from Luce Foundation
The department is delighted to announce that Prof. Anthea Butler has been awarded a major grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, along with Profs.
Spring 2021 Lecture Series: Jews, Race, and Religion
The Herbert D.
Abdul Manan Bhat reviews Ali Khan Mahmudabad at the Marginalia Review of Books
PhD student Abdul Manan Bhat recently published a review of Ali Khan Mahmudabad's Poetry of Belonging: Muslim Imaginings of India, 1850–1950 for the Ma
With particular strengths in the study of Christianity, Judaism, American religions, Islam, secularism, Buddhism, and other Asian religions, the Department of Religious Studies emphasizes descriptive, historical, and theoretical approaches to the study of religion.
Upcoming Events
Limpieza de Sangre and the “Clash of Civilizations”; Or, What Hath the Soul to Do with Racialized Bodies?
Sylvester A. Johnson, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Book Celebration: Alyssa Maldonado-Estrada, Lifeblood of the Parish: Men and Catholic Devotion in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Alyssa Maldonado-Estrada (Kalamazoo College) with Anthea Butler (Penn) Responding
Race, Class and Privilege: How Latino Jews Navigate Life in the United States
Laura Limonic, College of Old Westbury at the State University of New York
Faculty Bookshelf
Solomon: The Lure of Wisdom
Tradition has it that King Solomon knew everything there was to know—the mysteries of nature, of love, of God himself—but what do we know of him?
Figures of Buddhist Modernity in Asia
This book introduces contemporary Buddhists from across Asia and from various walks of life.
The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand
Stories centering on the lovelorn ghost (Mae Nak) and the magical monk (Somdet To) are central to Thai Buddhism.
From Mulberry Leaves to Silk Scrolls: New Approaches to the Study of Asian Manuscript Traditions
From Mulberry Leaves to Silk Scrolls is a multidisciplinary consideration of Asian manuscripts.
Song and Story in Biblical Narrative: The History of a Literary Convention in Ancient Israel
This book examines a literary form within the Bible that has slipped through the cracks of modern scholarship: the mixing of song and story in biblical narrative.
Religion and the Self in Antiquity
Many recent studies have argued that the self is a modern invention, a concept developed in the last three centuries.
The Origin of the Jews
The Jews have one of the longest continuously recorded histories of any people in the world, but what do we actually know about their origins?
Surviving Sacrilege: Cultural Persistence in Jewish Antiquity
In a world of relentless and often violent change, what does it take for a culture to survive?