Department News
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
Professor Butler Speaks on Black-Jewish Relations in the Civil Rights Movement
At a recent Katz Center event hosted by Professor Steven Weitzman, Department Chair Anthea Butler spoke on Black-Jewish relations
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
Is the Talmud Racist?
Mira Wasserman, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, & Steve Weitzman, University of Pennsylvania
Zakhor: Alex Haley’s Roots, Scriptures, and the Race for America
Richard Newton, University of Alabama
Book Celebration: J. Brent Crosson, Experiments with Power: Obeah and the Remaking of Religion in Trinidad
J. Brent Crosson (University of Texas, Austin) with Deborah Thomas (Penn) Responding
Faculty Bookshelf
Figures of Buddhist Modernity in Asia
This book introduces contemporary Buddhists from across Asia and from various walks of life.
Faking Liberties: Religious Freedom in American-Occupied Japan
Religious freedom is a founding tenet of the United States, and it has frequently been used to justify policies towards other nations.
Muslims Against the Muslim League: Critiques of the Idea of Pakistan
An anthology of essays, edited by Ali Usman Qasmi and Megan Eaton Robb, exploring Muslim criticism of the founding of Pakistan.
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?
Islam
Islam is a concise and readable survey of the history of Islam from the birth of Muhammad in seventh century Arabia to the differing situations of Muslims throughout today's world.
Print and the Urdu Public: Muslims, Newspapers, and Urban Life in Colonial India
Published by Oxford University Press
The Jews: A History
The Jews: A History is a comprehensive and accessible text that explores the religious, cultural, social, and economic diversity of the Jewish people and their faith.
Gathering Leaves and Lifting Words: Histories of Buddhist Monastic Education in Laos and Thailand
Gathering Leaves and Lifting Words examines modern and premodern Buddhist monastic education traditions in Laos and Thailand.