Pluralism-list December 2012

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Support the Pluralism Project in 2012; Job Postings; Graduate Student Conference

by Pluralism Project Staff

Dear Friends, Please see below for two announcements: two part-time job openings and an upcoming graduate student conference on religion and film. Please contact the organizations listed directly for more information. There's still time to support<http://www.pluralism.org/newsletters/view/2012-12-12>the work of the Pluralism Project in 2012! Click here <http://www.pluralism.org/about/donation> for more information on how to make a tax-deductible donation. *Checks must be postmarked by today, December 31st to be counted for 2012*. *Thank you for your support!* *Happy New Year!* * * All the best, The Pluralism Project Staff * --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * *Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts) seeks religious educators/leaders to fill the following part-time positions:* *SPIRITUAL ADVISOR FOR HINDU, JAIN, and SIKH COMMUNITIES SPIRITUAL ADVISOR FOR MUSLIM COMMUNITY* Positions will average 5-15 hours a week during the academic year, beginning (ideally) in January 2013, with possible summer opportunities. Spiritual Advisors are new, paid positions covering several classic “chaplaincy” or “campus ministry” functions but with an expanded emphasis on advancing the educational mission of the University and its new Center for Spirituality, Dialogue, and Service (see www.neu.edu/spirituallife for more information). A successful candidate will have significant experience as an educator and organizer in educational, religious, and/or nonprofit settings; excellent communication, dialogue, organizational, and conflict resolution skills; experience in interfaith work; deep knowledge and experience of one’s own spiritual/religious tradition and respect for others’; a passion for working with diverse groups of students, and a commitment to developing student leaders who are interculturally adept, ethically reflective, and spiritually grounded global citizens. Each of the Spiritual Advisors is supervised by the Alexander Levering Kern, the Center’s new Executive Director. The Spiritual Advisor will: · Design effective outreach/hospitality/engagement approaches to students, faculty, and staff within the Spiritual Advisor’s religious/spiritual tradition. · Advise student organization(s) serving the SA's specific religious/spiritual tradition (e.g. Hillel, Catholic students, Hindu students, etc.). · Work with Center Executive Director and two Program Managers (for Service and Engagement/Social Justice Program and for Education and Dialogue Programs) to plan and implement dynamic programs of spirituality, dialogue and service -- bringing the religious teachings, practices, and culture(s) of the Spiritual Advisor's specific tradition to bear on the interfaith/intercultural mission of the Center. · Meet with Northeastern community members from one’s own tradition for spiritual guidance/care/counseling. · Be available as needed to meet with and serve students of all religious/spiritual traditions, and none. · Meet regularly with team of fellow Spiritual Advisors for dialogue and program planning. · With the Executive Director of the Center, work to build bridges of communication and cooperation with the Spiritual Advisor’s specific religious/spiritual tradition locally, nationally, and globally. · Serve as a representative of the Spiritual Advisor’s religious/spiritual tradition in University forums, interfaith services, events, conferences and symposia, experiential education, service/dialogue programs, urban and foreign study trips, academic classes, etc. · Where appropriate, coordinate services and ceremonies specific to the Spiritual Advisor’s religious/spiritual tradition, or arrange for religious leadership to conduct services · Other duties as assigned. Please email resume or CV, and references to Alexander Levering Kern, a.kern(a)neu.edu, with the subject line SPIRITUAL ADVISOR APPLICATION. Northeastern University Center for Spirituality, Dialogue and Service 203 Ell Hall Huntington Avenue (Avenue of the Arts) Boston, MA 02115 www.northeastern.edu/spiritual_life Founded in 1898, Northeastern University is a private research university located in the heart of Boston. Northeastern is a leader in worldwide experiential learning, urban engagement, and interdisciplinary research that meets global and societal needs. Our broad mix of experience-based education programs—our signature cooperative education program, as well as student research, service learning, and global learning—build the connections that enable students to transform their lives. The University offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs leading to degrees through the doctorate in nine colleges and schools. * --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * * * *Imaging the Ineffable:* *Representation and Reality in Religion and Film* Call for Papers: 2013 Interdisciplinary Humanities Graduate Student Conference Deadline for Submissions: February 4th 2013 The Mahindra Humanities Center of Harvard University invites you to submit paper abstracts for the 2013 Interdisciplinary Humanities Graduate Student Conference on the topic of imaging the ineffable in religion and film. The paradox of showing what cannot be shown is a perennial issue in the fields of both Religion and Film Studies. In one of the most celebrated passages of Buddhist scripture, for instance, the sage Vimalakirti is asked to expound on the ultimate meaning of the Buddha’s teachings. Famously, Vimalakirti responds with silence, for the Buddha’s teachings are beyond words. In the same vein, the celebrated film critic and theorist Stanley Cavell argued that the unique feature of the filmic medium lies in its ability to show us what isn’t there; that is, to make absence present. This conference focuses on the intersection of religion and film in their aspirations to challenge the limits of signification. Papers are welcome on any of the following topics: · *The Representation of the Unrepresentable.* How do different religious traditions negotiate the representation of the unrepresentable? How do films presence absence or emptiness? How do films reflect or express particular religious negotiations of the unrepresentable? How might we examine the ways these concerns are translated into various filmic techniques that can help us understand the possibilities, limitations, and ethical ramifications of imaging the ineffable? · *Illusion and Reality.* Religion and film share a unique link by virtue of the way that each specifically engages a tension between reality and illusion. How can religious perspectives on the illusory nature of reality, as well claims about the reality of illusion, inform views on the role and relevance of film, itself a highly artificial and mediated form? How can attention to the *medium *of film – ephemeral bursts of light flickering rhythmically on a screen – be productive for thinking about the interplay of illusion and reality, fiction and truth, artifice and authenticity in religious contexts? · *Experience and Embodiment. *In response to recent academic shifts towards attending to issues of the senses, embodiment and aesthetics, how might religion use film to approach the aesthetic, sensory and embodied modes of religious experience? Conversely, how does film engage modes of practice, devotion and so-called ‘religious’ or ‘spiritual’ experience? What are the epistemological consequences of an academic approach that accounts for these sensory dimensions? * *· Any of the above three topics in relationship to the films of *Nathaniel Dorsky, Abbas Kiarostami, Claire Dennis, Michael Haneke, Robert Gardener, Krysztof Kieslowski, Stan Brakhage, Yasujiro Ozu, Alain Resnais (Night and Fog), Ari Folman (Waltz with Bashir) or Satyajit Ray (Pather Panchali) *are of particular interest, given that we will be screening some of their work at the conference. Paper abstracts should be approximately 500 words. Final presentation papers should be in the range of 1000-3000 words and will be considered for subsequent publication in the *Imaging the Ineffable: Representation and Reality in Religion and Film* conference proceedings. Please see our website *http://mahindrahumanities.fas.harvard.edu/content/imaging-ineffable * for details. Please email paper abstracts in MS Word format to linaverchery(a)fas.harvard.edu and zoekn(a)bu.edu by February 4th 2013. Please include your full name, title, institution, phone number, e-mail, and mailing address in the email and on the paper abstract. * --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * -- The Pluralism Project at Harvard University 2 Arrow Street, 4th Floor Cambridge, MA 02138 617-496-2481 www.pluralism.org Twittter: @pluralismproj Like The Pluralism Project on Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pluralism-Project-at-Harvard-University/1…>!

11 years, 4 months

December 2012 Newsletter

by The Pluralism Project

December 2012 Newsletter December 20, 2012 HTML version: http://pluralism.org/newsletters/view/2012-12-20 Newsletter archive: http://pluralism.org/newsletters In this Issue: - 2012 Pluralism Project Photo Contest Results - Pluralism Project Staff Celebrate End of Semester - "The Dignity of Difference: Developing Theologies of Religious Pluralism and the Challenges of Leadership" - Pluralism Project Staff and Friends Screen Life of Pi - Faitheist Book Launch Celebrated at Harvard Divinity School - Pluralism Project Research Director Participates in Sacred Space Seminar - Center for the Study of World Religions Hosts Eboo Patel for Third Annual Greeley Lecture - Religious Literacy Roundtable at the Harvard Club of New York City - Pew Research Center Finds Rise of the "Nones" - In the News - Election Edition - Support the Pluralism Project!  Dear Friends, [Image: ] Greetings from Cambridge, MA! The semester is wrapping up and what a busy one it has been! In October I made a trip to Sweden where I gave a lecture in memory of the Reverend Dr. Krister Stendahl, former Bishop of Stockholm and Dean of Harvard Divinity School. I spoke about the rise of the “Nones” in the United States (as seen in the findings of the recent Pew Forum study) and the increased participation of Humanists in the interfaith movement. These topics were of particular interest to the audience given that 11% of Sweden’s population identifies as atheist, although interest in religious pluralism in society is very strong.  A few days later, I gave introductory remarks in Andover Chapel at Harvard Divinity School to mark the launch of Chris Stedman’s book Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground With the Religious. At Lowell House, we hosted the annual Diwali celebration of the Hindu Dharma student group, with well over 100 in attendance in the masters' residence living room! In November, I lectured on America's changing religious landscape at Notre Dame College in Cleveland, with very good attendance from members of the Hindu and Muslim communities. Finally, in December I spoke at the initial meeting of a working group put together by the Aspen Institute and co-chaired by Madeleine Albright and David Gergen to make practical suggestions for an "Inclusive America." This was a very promising meeting, with participants from many religious communities and advocacy groups. It was clear that our own work mapping the "Interfaith Infrastructure" will be an enormously useful on-the-ground road map of what is already happening. The Aspen project seeks to lift up and amplify efforts like these. Watch for it in the news next summer when the white paper is released.  Many in the academic study of religion recently returned from the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, which took place this year in Chicago. In years past, the Pluralism Project staff and I have very much enjoyed hosting a reception at the AAR where we have an opportunity to check in with our affiliates and friends about developments in their research. Although we did not host a reception at the AAR this year, we’d still like to hear updates from affiliates and friends of the Project. Please click here [ http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BZZ8QYQ ] to share with us your news.  Claude F. Jacobs, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and long-time Pluralism Project affiliate, did just that. Claude and his students continue to map the changing religious landscape of Metropolitan Detroit. The Worldviews Seminar, an intensive summer program promoting interfaith dialogue and engagement, is now in its twelfth year. Claude and his colleagues have begun to collaborate with the Ecumenical Seminary of Detroit in this effort. Thanks, Claude, for sharing with us your update! We hope to hear from some more of you who are working with students and advancing the study of religion in your work as scholars and teachers.  We’re also interested in receiving feedback from friends of the Pluralism Project on how you use the resources on our website and what additional resources would be useful to you in your work. Take a moment to share with us your thoughts using this link [ http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P8LT9JM ]. We wish you all the best in this holiday season and we look forward to hearing from you! Warmly, [Image: ]   2012 Pluralism Project Photo Contest Results [Image: ] Congratulations to Stephanie Felix, of Seattle, WA, for her winning submission to the 2012 Pluralism Project Photo Contest. Stephanie's photo, "Sikh Vigil II," was taken during a service and candlelight vigil at Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Renton, WA held a week after the tragic shootings at the gurdwara in Oak Creek, WI. Stephanie also produced a video of the event at the request of Faith Action Network. The video is available on the Faith Action Network website [ http://fanwa.org/2012/12/11/3235/ ]. We would also like to recognize two additional photographs which earned honorable mention: Kris Snibbe's photo, "Holi," captured a celebration of the Hindu festival of Holi at Harvard University and Muhi Kwaja's photo, "Praying in Spirit I," was taken during Ramadan at the Dar Al Faruq Youth & Family Center in Minneapolis, MN. These photos and other excellent submissions are featured on the Pluralism Project website. Click here [ http://www.pluralism.org/photosets/view/1143 ] to see the slideshow. Pluralism Project Staff Celebrate End of Semester Pluralism Project staff recently gathered to celebrate the end of the semester. Highlights from the gathering include research associate updates from work on the forth-coming web-based edition of On Common Ground: World Religions in America [ http://www.pluralism.org/ocg ] as well as a sneak peak at the web design for OCG. We look forward to sharing both with you in 2013! "The Dignity of Difference: Developing Theologies of Religious Pluralism and the Challenges of Leadership" A panel discussion on Tuesday, December 4th at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government featured discussion on "The Dignity of Difference: Developing Theologies of Religious Pluralism and the Challenges of Leadership. Panelists included Ali Asani, professor of Indo-Muslim and Islamic Religion and Culture at Harvard University; Diana Eck, professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies and Director of the Pluralism Project at Harvard University; and Lord Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom for conversation with Ronald Heifetz, Co-Founder of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.  Pluralism Project Staff and Friends Screen Life of Pi [Image: ] On Thursday, November 15, Pluralism Project staff and over seventy friends from Harvard Divinity School, the Harvard Interfaith Council, and the Harvard Chaplains screened the film Life of Pi [ http://www.LifeofPimovie.com ] at the AMC Loews Theater on Boston Common. Directed by Academy Award Winner Ang Lee, Life of Pi is a 3-D adaptation of the 2001 novel by Yann Martel. The film was released on November 21st. Click here [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-fuchs-kreimer/life-of-pi-can-a-movie-ma… ] to read a recent blog post in the Huffington Post by Rabbi Nancy Fuchs Kreimer, Director of the Department of Multifaith Studies at Rabbinical Reconstructionist College. Faitheist Book Launch Celebrated at Harvard Divinity School [Image: ] Over 100 people gathered in Andover Chapel on Friday, November 2nd to celebrate the launch of Chris Stedman’s book Faithest: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious. Diana Eck gave introductory remarks and Stedman, the assistant chaplain for the Harvard Humanist Community, read an excerpt from the book. The evening was organized by Harvard Divinity School Humanists, a student group on campus. Paul Escobar, one of the event organizers, is a 2012-2013 Pluralism Project research associate. (Photo of Chris Stedman courtesy of Alex Dakoulas) Pluralism Project Research Director Participates in Sacred Space Seminar On October 25 & 26, research director Ellie Pierce participated in a Radcliffe Seminar, “Sacred Space in a Secular Nation of Believers.” The seminar explored sacred space in healthcare contexts, the military, and higher education. Sessions focused on specific cases, including the Ulfelder Healing Garden at Massachusetts General Hospital [ http://www.halvorsondesign.com/sustainable/Ulfelder_Healing_Garden_Mass_Gen… ], one of three spaces at the hospital – in addition to the masjid and chapel – set aside for prayer and/or reflection; the Tufts University Interfaith Cente [ http://johnson-roberts.com/JRA/tufts-university-interfaith-center/ ]r, home to the Muslim, Protestant, and Catholic chaplains, and is used by a range of student religious groups; and the U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel [ http://www.usafa.af.mil/information/visitors/cadetchapel.asp ], designed with separate chapels for the Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant faiths. Today, the Cadet Chapel also houses an “all faiths room,” a newer Buddhist chapel (“the Vast Dharma Refuge Hall”), and, the most recent addition, a dedicated space near the building for Earth-Centered Spirituality, known as “Falcon Circle.” This engaging multidisciplinary seminar was organized by Wendy Cadge from Brandeis University, Alice Friedman from Wellesley College, and Karla Johnson, from the architectural firm Johnson Roberts Associates. Center for the Study of World Religions Hosts Eboo Patel for Third Annual Greeley Lecture [Image: ] On October 25th the Center for the Study of World Religions hosted Eboo Patel, founder and president of the Interfaith Youth Core, for the third annual Dana McLean Greeley Lecture for Peace and Social Justice. Patel’s address was titled “New Rooms in the House of Religious Pluralism: Evangelicals in the Interfaith Movement.” In his remarks Patel, author of the recently released Sacred Ground: Pluralism, Prejudice, and the Promise of America, called for increased participation of Evangelical Christians in the interfaith movement, change he argues will only be brought about when “new rooms” are added to existing spaces in a movement shaped by theological liberals and political progressives. A video of Patel’s lecture is available on the Harvard Divinity School website [ http://www.hds.harvard.edu/multimedia/video/new-rooms-in-the-house-of-relig… ]. The Interfaith Youth Core is gearing up to host an Interfaith Leadership Institute in Atlanta, GA from January 25-27th. To learn more about the upcoming leadership opportunity for college students, click here [ http://www.cvent.com/events/interfaith-leadership-institute-in-atlanta/even… ].  Religious Literacy Roundtable at the Harvard Club of New York City On October 4, the Foundation for Religious Literacy [ http://tfrl.org/ ] and the Coexist Foundation [ http://www.coexistfoundation.net/ ] co-sponsored a Religious Literacy Roundtable at the Harvard Club of New York City.  The Roundtable brought together representatives from diverse schools, groups, and organizations engaged in building religious literacy. Research Director Ellie Pierce, as well as two Pluralism Project alumnae, Dr. Marcia Beauchamp (now of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation [ http://www.tonyblairfaithfoundationus.org/ ]) and Rev. Chloe Breyer (now of the Interfaith Center of New York [ http://interfaithcenter.org/ ]), were among the participants. Together, the group discussed current projects and prospects for religious literacy, with an emphasis on information-sharing and collaboration. A second Roundtable will be held in the coming months to build upon and extend the impact of these initial conversations.  Pew Research Center Finds Rise of the "Nones" [Image: ] In a report published in October, the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life announced a record number of Americans—nearly one-fifth of the U.S. population—identifies as unaffiliated with a particular religion. Atheists and agnostics make up roughly 6% percent of that number and those who describe themselves as having “no particular religious affiliation” comprise the remaining 14%. Research also indicates that this increase in the “nones” can be seen across educational, regional, economic, and age spectrums, although the number is higher (closer to 30%) among the millennial generation. Click here [ http://www.pewforum.org/Unaffiliated/nones-on-the-rise.aspx#ranks ] to read the full report. In the News - Election Edition "Faith in the Ballot Box: First Hindu, Buddhist Elected to Congress" [ http://www.odysseynetworks.org/news/2012/11/07/faith-in-the-ballot-box-firs… ] (Odyssey Networks) "For Religious Conservatives, Election was 'Disaster'" [ http://www.vpr.net/npr/164711265/ ] (Vermont Public Radio) "What Do Religious Leaders Want for Obama's Next Four Years?" [ http://wwrn.org/articles/38533/ ] (The Washington Post/Worldwide Religion News) "Interfaith Coalition Working Hard on Voter Participation" [ http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/interfaith-coalition-working-hard-on… ] (The Journal Times, Racine, WI) Support the Pluralism Project!  If you like our work and would like to see it continue, please consider making a donation to the Pluralism Project. Donations can be made by check or online. Click here [ http://www.pluralism.org/newsletters/view/2012-12-12 ] to read a letter from Dr. Diana Eck about the impact of our work or click here [ http://www.pluralism.org/about/donation ] for information on how to make a donation by check or online. THANK YOU!  [Image: ] Follow the Pluralism Project on Twitter [ https://twitter.com/PluralismProj ] and like us on Facebook [ http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pluralism-Project-at-Harvard-University/1… ]!  [Image: ] ------------------------- This is the read-only email list of the Pluralism Project at Harvard University. To join or leave this mailing list, please email us at staff(a)pluralism.org, or visit the subscription edit page at http://pluralism.org/subscribers/edit

11 years, 5 months

To Continue Our Critical Work, We Need You: Support the Pluralism Project Today

by The Pluralism Project

To Continue Our Critical Work, We Need You: Support the Pluralism Project Today December 12, 2012 HTML version: http://pluralism.org/newsletters/view/2012-12-12 Newsletter archive: http://pluralism.org/newsletters Dear Friends, On the morning of August 6th, the phone rang at our Arrow Street office. The reporter from the Boston Globe asked: “Was there anyone at the Pluralism Project who could speak about Sikhism and the Sikh experience in Boston?” The murder of six members of the Sikh community at a gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin just the day before had catapulted Sikhs into the national and international [Image: ] spotlight. Long-time friend of the Pluralism Project and my colleague, Harpreet Singh immediately came to mind. As a founding member of the Sikh Coalition, an advocacy organization founded post-9/11 to protect the civil rights of Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike, Harpreet is no stranger to the bigotry and hatred leveled at the Sikh community in recent years. In June we had been with Harpreet at the Milford Gurdwara Sahib in Milford, MA during a two-week interfaith leadership seminar. During our visit, Harpreet and others welcomed our group of nearly twenty-five theological school students for the Sunday morning service and langar meal. There, we experienced the radical hospitality that is foundational to the Sikh faith. For many of the participants in the interfaith leadership seminar, the trip to Milford was their first visit to a gurdwara; the course their [Image: ] first introduction to Sikhism. In addition to personal encounters with members of the Sikh community, the seminarians previewed our forthcoming online version of On Common Ground: World Religions in America, with a thorough introduction the Sikh tradition. When news broke about the shootings in Oak Creek, members of the seminar cohort shared information about solidarity events they were organizing or planning to attend in support of the Sikh community; they were able to translate their new knowledge of the Sikh faith and community into conversations, sermons, and appropriate responses of support. More so, several participants noted that the visit to the gurdwara gave them the confidence and connections they needed to reach out to the Sikh community during a time of tragedy. Our colleague Harpreet reminds us that while the scale of the tragedy in Oak Creek was significant, this was not an isolated incident. The year before, two elderly Sikhs were gunned down in Elk Grove, California, one of many unsolved murders; and the persistent stream of arson attacks on mosques around the nation are sobering reminders that our work not only remains unfinished but is more critical now than ever. Teachers, clergy, scholars, and civic leaders can—and often do—play an important role in shaping public discourse about religion. For over two decades the work of the Pluralism Project has been to provide these individuals—many of whom are now our friends, affiliates, and alumni—with timely resources to enhance their teaching, preaching, and serving in multi-religious America. Like many non-profits in these challenging times, we face a future that is uncertain. Your tax-deductible gift (see below) will help to sustain this critical work. Whether we are connecting reporters to community members, educating seminarians, or even introducing Harvard undergraduates to religion in America through the case method, our work at the Pluralism Project is vital to the public conversation. In this season of light, we give thanks for your continued partnership as together we build a culture of pluralism that challenges the darkness of bigotry and hatred. With gratitude, [Image: ] Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Pluralism Project. Your gift of: $25 could defray the travel costs of a student researcher $100 could assist in the hosting of a film screening $500 could support case study research $1000 could fund a work study student for an entire academic year $5,000 could make possible a summer fellowship program $10,000 could cover the partial salary of one of our staff members To help sustain our work, you may send a check by mail or donate online at http://www.pluralism.org/about/donation [ http://www.pluralism.org/about/donation ]. Thank you! ------------------------- This is the read-only email list of the Pluralism Project at Harvard University. To join or leave this mailing list, please email us at staff(a)pluralism.org, or visit the subscription edit page at http://pluralism.org/subscribers/edit

11 years, 5 months

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Pluralism-list December 2012