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9/4
Kristina García
News Officer
klg@upenn.edu
Religious Studies
Donovan Schaefer says there is no division between thinking and feeling
Donovan Schaefer says there is no division between thinking and feeling
In his new book, “Wild Experiment: Feeling Science and Secularism after Darwin”, the assistant professor of religious studies posits that thinking and feeling are intertwined.
Jolyon Baraka Thomas on curiosity and contentment
Jolyon Baraka Thomas on curiosity and contentment
For Jolyon Baraka Thomas of the School of Arts & Sciences, the route to religious studies was the same one that led him away from faith.
Justin McDaniel on life, death, religion, and his latest book
Justin McDaniel on life, death, religion, and his latest book
In his new book, “Wayward Distractions,” the School of Arts & Sciences’ Justin McDaniel compiles articles on art and material culture spanning his 20-plus years of scholarship.
In These Times: Fear and loathing and science
In These Times: Fear and loathing and science
Season three of the School of Arts & Sciences podcast explores scientific ideas that get big reactions.
Religious freedom as a tool for American occupation
Religious freedom as a tool for American occupation
Jolyon Thomas, an associate professor of religious studies, discusses his award-winning book, ‘Faking Liberties: Religious Freedom in American-Occupied Japan.’
The Divine Comedy’s ‘universal message’
The Divine Comedy’s ‘universal message’
Seven centuries years after Dante Alighieri's death on Sept. 14, 1321, his “Divine Comedy,” a poem in which an autobiographical protagonist journeys through hell, purgatory, and paradise, is still widely influential.
Archiving empire with religious studies’ Megan Robb
Archiving empire with religious studies’ Megan Robb
A long-unseen archive centered on an 18th-century Mughal woman will soon be publicly accessible, thanks to the work of religious studies professor Megan Robb of the School of Arts & Sciences and a team of Penn students.
Nationalism, American evangelicals, and conservatism
Nationalism, American evangelicals, and conservatism
Historians Anthea Butler and Heather J. Sharkey and political scientist Michele Margolis share their thoughts on the history of American evangelicals in politics, Trump’s appeal, and what it means for the future of the GOP.
Integrating tough questions about the intersection of race, religion, and politics
Integrating tough questions about the intersection of race, religion, and politics
Through student discussions and outside lectures, one SNF Paideia Program course examined the Jewish experience, the history of prejudice, and intersectionality in Jewish identity, among other topics.
‘Then and Now: Black-Jewish Relations in the Civil Rights Movement’
‘Then and Now: Black-Jewish Relations in the Civil Rights Movement’
Professor of religious studies Anthea Butler gave an overview of shared history and discussed next steps in “Then and Now: Black-Jewish Relations in the Civil Rights Movement,” an event hosted by the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies.
Media Contact
In the News
The Conversation
Afghanistan’s war rug industry distorts the reality of everyday trauma
Jamal J. Elias of the School of Arts & Sciences wrote about the war rug market in Afghanistan, arguing that collectors and journalists tend to mistakenly view the weavings as reflections of the creator’s worldview. Instead, said Elias, it’s the rug brokers and dealers who determine the motifs. “Ultimately, Afghan war rugs are produced for the market,” he wrote.
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The Washington Post
Gina Stewart becomes first woman elected to lead US Black Baptist organization
Anthea Butler of the School of Arts & Sciences commented on Gina Stewart’s selection as president of the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Society. “I think it is significant, important, and past time for a woman to be in leadership in Black Baptist circles, missions or otherwise,” said Butler. “Women are the fundraisers and foundation of the church.”
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The Washington Post
Anti-vaxxers are claiming centuries of Jewish suffering to look like martyrs
Simcha Gross of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about how clothing was used to separate religious groups in the Middle Ages. “In Islam, distinction of clothing was part of a range of regulations that differentiated between Muslims and certain kinds of non-Muslims, which have their own lengthy and complicated history,” he said.
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BBC
Newshour
Heather Sharkey of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about the history of interreligious contact in Iraq. “What we’ve seen in the last 20 years since 2003 has been very acute, and there were challenges that led to the slight attrition of Christians steadily over time, which reduced their numbers in the long run,” she said. “But by and large, it is a history of people getting along well and that bodes well for the future of different religious communities in Iraq.”
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“All Things Considered,” National Public Radio
After Falwell’s departure, Liberty students worry about their school and their faith
Michele Margolis of the School of Arts & Sciences says that young evangelicals are more progressive than previous generations on some issues but don’t seem to be moving away from the Republican Party overall.
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The Washington Post
New study in ‘Science’: Medieval Catholicism explains the differences between cultures to this day
Coren Apicella of the School of Arts and Sciences commented on a new study that found a correlation between countries with longer histories of exposure to Catholicism and lower measures of kinship intensity. “This is the only theory that I am aware of that attempts to explain broad patterns of human psychology on a global scale,” she said.
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