Past Events



Aaron Reich, "Gods in the Making: Spirit Mediums and the Consecration of Deity Statues in Contemporary Taiwan"

RELS Colloquium
Aaron K. Reich (St. Joseph's University)
Sep 14, 2023 at -

In a temple in south Taiwan, a patron holds a newly carved statue of his tutelary deity as a ritual master performs the requisite rites to animate the statue. In the climactic moment when the statue becomes bound to…



A Religious Studies Celebration

Honoring the Accomplishments of RELS Students and Faculty
Apr 27, 2023 at -

We will hold a reception to celebrate the accomplishments of RELS students and faculty on Thursday, April 27 from 5:00 to 6:30 PM in the Fireside Lounge on the second floor of the ARCH Building. Events will include…



Colloquium: Making the Present with the More Than Human Gobi Desert

Matthew King (UC Riverside)
Apr 20, 2023 at -

The Gobi is not a consensual idea. It is a contrarian stage of desire and repulsion, of mobility and
obstruction. Forged in the negative space of sea, sky, and land, the material Gobi has long been a membrane…



Canceled: "Jah’s Warrior: Samson as Moral Exemplar in Rastafari”

Ariella Werden-Greenfield
Mar 2, 2023 at -

This event has been canceled due to unforeseen circumstances. 

 



The Scholar of Religion in the Public Sphere

Celebrating Anthea Butler's receipt of the Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion
Emily Anderson, Lloyd Barba, Anthea Butler, Samah Choudhury, Gillian Frank, Abel Gómez, Charles McCrary, Samira Mehta, Bradley Onishi, Jalane Schmidt, Audrey Truschke, Robin Globus Veldman
Feb 9, 2023 - Feb 10, 2023 at -

What do we need to know about public scholarship on religion right now?



Colloquium: "The Muslim Difference: Defining the Line between Believers and Unbelievers from Early Islam to the Present"

Youshaa Patel
Feb 2, 2023 at -

How did Muslims across time and place define the line between themselves and their neighbors? Youshaa Patel explores why the Prophet Muhammad first advised his followers to emulate Christians and Jews, but then…



Roundtable: Applying the Religious Studies PhD beyond the Professoriate

Rebecca Mendelson (Duke RELS PhD '20), Japanese Studies Librarian, Penn Libraries
,
Rose Muravchick (Penn RELS PhD '14), Associate Director of Educational Development, Center for Teaching and Learning, University of Delaware
,
Alex Ramos (Penn RELS PhD '17), Production Editor, Penn State University Press
Jan 26, 2023 at -

This roundtable workshop for current PhD students in RELS and adjacent fields features remarks by three people with religious studies PhDs who have applied their humanistic skills to jobs in academic book publication…



Book Launch: Reyhan Durmaz, Stories between Christianity and Islam

A Conversation with Barbara H. Roggema
Jan 19, 2023 at -

Stories between Christianity and Islam offers an original and nuanced understanding of Christian–Muslim relations that shifts focus from discussions of superiority, conflict, and appropriation to the living…



Boardman Reception Honoring Martin Marty Award Winner Prof. Anthea Butler at the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting

Nov 19, 2022 at -

Please join the Religious Studies Department of the University of Pennsylvania for a reception honoring our colleague Anthea Butler, winner of the 2022…



AAR Practice Session

Aditya Bhattacharjee, Max Johnson Dugan
Nov 17, 2022 at -

Join us for two practice talks by PhD candidates who will be presenting their work at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion. Talk titles and abstracts below. 

Aditya Bhattacharjee