Department News
Professor Weitzman Publishes on "Strategic Spirituality" in the Journal of the American Academy of Religion
Professor Weitzman has published a new article titled "Strategic Spirituality: Positive Psychology, the Army, and the Ambiguities of 'Spirituali
PhD Student Angela Xia Receives Two Fellowships
PhD Student Angela Xia has received a Foreign Language and Area Studies Summer Fellowship to study Chinese and the Alice Fisher History of Nursing Fellowship.
Max Dugan Earns Multiple Awards
PhD Candidate Max Dugan has received several fellowships and awards in the spring 2021 term. He received a resear
Professor Thomas at Michigan Talks Japan Podcast
Professor Thomas was interviewed about his book Faking Liberties: Religious Freedom in American-Occupied Japan for the Michigan Talks Japan podcast.
Prof Robb interviewed for New Books in Islam Podcast
Listen to the Podcast interview with Prof. Robb here.
Professor Butler's Virtual Book Tour Dates
Professor Butler has a busy spring as she promotes her new book, White Evangelical Racism, at several virtual events.
Professor Butler Interviewed at Religion Dispatches and Keeping it 101 about White Evangelical Racism
Professor Butler's new book drops soon, and the interviews are coming in fast and furious.
Professor Thomas Selected for Sacred Writes 2021 Cohort
Professor Thomas has been selected as one of 24 fellows for trainings conducted by Sacred Writes, a project supporting public scholarship on religi
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.
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.
Faculty Bookshelf
Alef is for Allah: Childhood Emotion and Visual Culture in Islamic Societies
Alef Is for Allah is the first groundbreaking study of the emotional space occupied by children in modern Islamic societies.
The Throne Carrier of God: The Life and Thought of ‘Ala’ ad-dawla as-Simnani
This book constitutes a comprehensive investigation of the life and teachings of one of the most famous Sufis of the Iranian world.
The FBI and Religion
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has had a long and tortuous relationship with religion over almost the entirety of its existence.
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.
Key Themes for the Study of Islam
Key Themes for the Study of Islam examines the central themes and concepts indispensable to an informed understanding of Islamic religion and society.
Religious Affects: Animality, Evolution, and Power
In Religious Affects, Donovan Schaefer challenges the notion that religion is inextricably linked to language and belief, proposing instead that it is primarily driven by affects.
Buddhist Narrative in Asia and Beyond
Publication of the proceedings of the conference "Buddhist Narrative in Asia and Beyond" at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, August 2010, edited by Peter Skilling & Justin McDaniel.
Architects of Buddhist Leisure: Socially Disengaged Buddhism in Asia’s Museum, Monuments, and Amusement Parks
Buddhism, often described as an austere religion that condemns desire, promotes denial, and idealizes the contemplative life, actually has a thriving leisure culture in Asia.