Transcendentalism as a Living Tradition Workshop

The Center for the Study of World Religions will convene the second major workshop of its Transcendentalism Initiative from September 24 to 26, 2026. Bringing together scholars, writers, artists, and practitioners, the gathering will explore Transcendentalism as a living tradition—one that must be continually defined, contested, expanded, and reimagined through collaborative inquiry.

Building on the initiative’s inaugural workshop last year at the Concord Museum in Concord, Massachusetts, this gathering is designed to deepen and extend the conversations that began there. Its structure privileges sustained dialogue and the careful clarification of ideas, with short panels serving as catalysts for small-group discussions. A communal reading of Emerson's Divinity School Address, an exchange of works in progress, and a walking tour of Transcendentalist history will offer additional opportunities for shared reflection.

Participants will consider what we mean by “Transcendentalism” and what is at stake in defining the tradition in particular ways. Conversations will examine the texts, figures, and voices that have shaped prevailing understandings of Transcendentalism, while asking how overlooked perspectives and interdisciplinary approaches might reshape its boundaries. The workshop will also explore how Transcendentalism persists or reappears in contemporary intellectual, religious, ethical, artistic, and political life.

At the heart of the gathering is a question of inheritance: What obligations does Transcendentalism place on those who study, practice, and carry it forward? By approaching the tradition as something sustained through ongoing acts of interpretation and renewal, the workshop seeks to cultivate new collaborations in order to imagine how Transcendentalism might continue to develop in response to our own historical moment.