The Center for the Study of World Religions has always been a place where students, faculty and the greater community engage in scholarly and community events. The week of April 13 through April 20, 2015 is a good example of the many varied and exciting events organized by the Center and held at the Center.
Monday April 13
The week begins with an active Monday schedule featuring the Doctoral Students from the Committee on the Study of Religion in their student organized series, How Professors Teach. Throughout the year professors of the Divinity School have shared their philosophy of teaching with doctoral students in round table discussions. This week Professor Ahmed Ragab, the Richard T. Watson Assistant Professor of Science and Religion, met with the group to share his experiences and philosophy of teaching.
Monday was a rich day for our resident Junior Fellows at the Center, Laura Thompson and Munjed Murad. They have planned and held public events throughout the academic year on current issues of importance to the study of religion.
Laura Thompson (Doctoral Student and Center Resident) as part of her junior fellow series on Religion after the Arab Spring organized and led a luncheon discussion with presenter: Graeme Wood, author of “What ISIS Really Wants” featured in The Atlantic Monthly.
Munjed Murad, (Doctoral Student and Center Resident) as part of his junior fellow series on Religions and Nature organized and hosted a lecture entitled, “Towards a Muslim Poetics of Nature,” presented by Professor Mohammed Rustom, Associate Professor at Carlton University.
Tuesday April 14
During the academic year the Center hosts book events featuring the HDS faculty and their new publications. These important events provide the HDS faculty time to attend to each other’s study, teaching, research and writing. In a public lecture and panel discussion Kevin Madigan, Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History, introduced the community to his new book, Medieval Christianity: A New History. The respondents were Amy Hollywood, Elizabeth H. Monrad Professor of Christian Studies and Luis Girón-Negrón, Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures and of Comparative Literature (FAS).
Wednesday, April 15
The Center is further enriched by hosting important Colloquia in areas of special interest. These events bring in the larger community at Harvard and other universities in the study of a particular religion or field of study. Wednesday afternoon The Society for Comparative Theology hosted a lecture by Rafal Stepien (Doctoral Candidate, Columbia University) entitled, “Adherence Without Attachment in Buddhism and Islam.”
Each Wednesday evening the residents of Center meet with the Professor Clooney, the Center Director, to share their work with each other in the World Religions Café. This week our resident Alia Brailey, (MDiv III) presented “The Challenge of Radical Non-Violence.”
Thursday, April 16
Thursday evening the Center hosted the Hindu Studies Colloquium. A lecture was presented by Jinah Kim (Assistant Professor of South and Southeast Asian Art, Department of the History of Art and Architecture) entitled, “Pock-marked Demons, Pot-bellied Goddesses: Images of Sickness and Healing and Trans-sectarian Development of Medico-Cultic Practices in Pre-modern South Asia.”
Sunday, April 19
The Center is privileged to have an intentional community of 24 residents made up of Doctoral, MDiv and ThD students from around the world, representing many different religions, cultures and areas of religious study. As part of the dedication to building community residents often gather to share meals, movies and their areas of study.
The robust community of residents and staff gathered for our annual cheese-tasting event, presented by Jane Anna Chapman, residential life and operations coordinator and Lexi Gewertz, coordinator of educational programming. With cheese from around the world replete with complementary wine, sparkling juice and sweets: residents, staff and guests engaged in lively conversation while breaking bread together in the spirit of true community.
Monday April 20
Monday began with the Visiting Fellows Breakfast. In its commitment to visiting scholars at the Center, WSRP and HDS, this event fosters community and study across many disciplines for our visitors. Shaireen Rasheed (Long Island University) presented her work: “Antigone, Irony and the Nation State: Case of Laal Masjid (Red Mosque) and the Role of Militant Feminism in Pakistan.”
In our last Faculty Book Event of the academic year Center Director Francis X. Clooney, SJ., Professor of Divinity and Professor of Comparative Theology, presented his book: His Hiding Place Is Darkness: A Hindu-Catholic Theopoetics of Divine Absence with responses by Kimberley Patton, Professor of the Comparative and Historical Study of Religion, and Catherine Cornille, Professor, Chairperson Newton College Alumnae Chair of Western Culture at Boston College. The event was moderated by Kevin J. Madigan, Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History. This well attended event brought a large audience of HDS faculty, students, staff and people from the larger community beyond HDS. See also the separate report on this event.
—By Corey O'Brien, Associate Director of the Center for the Study of World