The Pluralism Project at Harvard UniversitySymposium on Civil Society and Multireligious America: Panelist Biographies
November 18–20, 1999
Harvard University
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A New Religious America – Reports from the Field
Dr. Surinder Bhardwaj, Professor of Geography, Kent State University,
Mapping Pluralism in Ohio
Born in India (1934), Surinder Bhardwaj earned his B.A. (Honors) and Masters degree in Geography at the Punjab University, India. He later earned his Masters degree (1965) and Ph.D. in 1970 from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. He has been a member of the Geography Department at Kent State University since 1969. His two areas of scholarly interest have been medical geography and cultural geography. Within cultural geography Bhardwaj has written on Hindu places of pilgrimage in India, and emerging Hindu pilgrimage in America. The latter interest has led him to develop workshops on cultural and religious diversity in Ohio. Bhardwaj was awarded the Kent State University President's Medal in 1996.
Dr. David Odell-Scott, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Religious
Freedom Programs Coordinator, Kent State University, Mapping Pluralism in
Ohio
David Odell-Scott, raised on the Gulf coast of Alabama, holds the B.A. from Texas Christian University (1975), attended Boston University School of Theology, and earned the M.Div. from Vanderbilt Divinity School (1980) and the Ph.D. in Philosophy from Vanderbilt University (1989). Before coming to Kent State University in 1990, David was professor and chair in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Fisk University. His research interests include philosophy of religion, philosophical theology, biblical hermeneutics, and religion in American. His publications include "Let the Women Speak in Church: An Egalitarian Interpretation of 1 Corinthians 14:34-36" (BTB:1983) and "A Post-Patriarchal Christology" (Scholars Press, 1991). He is presently writing a manuscript on Paul as social critic, a work on gender identity and status in the early church, and a study on "tolerance" in modernity.
Mapping Pluralism in Ohio is a joint interdisciplinary project of David Odell-Scott (Philosophy) and Surinder Bhardwaj (Geography) of Kent State University. So far the effort has been largely focused on northern Ohio. Although the number of recent religious communities in Ohio is much smaller than in New York, New Jersey, the New England region, and California, there is much diversity. Several recently established religious communities, including Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh, have been identified. Several of these communities are in the process of actively developing their organizational base as well as their community and religious centers. Some communities are more clearly ethnic in nature than others. Some communities are vigorously developing interfaith connections, partly to counter negative perceptions by others. 'Mapping' of new religious communities (in the broader sense) could reveal not only their spatial configurations, but also their relationship with earlier established communities.
In addition to their collaborative work on Mapping Pluralism in Ohio, Professors Bhardwaj and Odell-Scott are engaging in individual case studies: Bhardwaj on internal diversities of minority religious communities, and Odell-Scott on Buddhist communities along the Alabama, Mississippi, and Northwest Florida Gulf coasts.
Dr. Sam Britt, Assistant Professor of Religion/Asian Studies, Furman
University
A born and bred South Carolinian, son of a Southern Baptist Preacher, he attended Furman University (B.A.), Southeastern Baptist Seminary (M.Div.) Harvard Divinity School (Th.M.) , and the University of Virginia (Ph.D.). He has done extended fieldwork on healing rituals among Aladura churches in Liberia and Washington, DC. More recently he has explored healing ceremonies in South India and Buddhist pilgrimage in China. Presently, he is a participant, along with Claude Stulting and Alfons Teipen, in the Pluralism Project of Upstate South Carolina. His particular interest is in exploring the relation between domestic shrine and temple worship among Hindus.
Dr. Patrice Brodeur, Assistant-Professor of Religious Studies,
Connecticut College
Having recently graduated from Harvard University with a dissertation on contemporary Arab Muslim perceptions of "religious Others," Dr. Brodeur now teaches Islamic Studies and the History of Religions in the Department of Religious Studies at Connecticut College. He is the book review editor for The Muslim World. He is also the Director of the Pluralism Project at Connecticut College (PPCC).
The Pluralism Project at Connecticut College (PPCC) not only maps the religious diversity of the New London area, but also the various religious needs of the community as a whole. For example, the Town Planner of New London approached PPCC to investigate the current use of all religious buildings throughout the city in order to determine the needs for future planning and zoning in matters related to various religious communities. PPCC reflects the engagement of the Department of Religious Studies in the College-wide commitment to participate in improving the quality of life in the New London area through inclusive partnerships with residents and governmental, non-profit, and private sectors. PPCC dovetails with the new multi-religious and interfaith vision of the Connecticut College Chaplaincy. In order to add a global dimension to the local PPCC, Dr. Brodeur is also developing (with the World Conference on Religion and Peace) a certificate in interfaith dialogue and multi-religious cooperation. This certificate aims to integrate academic and "applied religion" concerns into a transformative educational experience with concrete projects enabling the growth of civil society.
Dr. Yudit Greenberg, Professor of Religious Studies and Director
of Jewish Studies Program, Rollins College
Dr. Yudit Kornberg Greenberg has been a professor of religious studies for the past 13 years, and since 1998 has also been the director of the new Jewish Studies Program at Rollins College. A native of Israel with academic specialization in Jewish studies, women's studies, and cross-cultural concepts of the body, Dr. Greenberg has been an active voice and presence in the religious and spiritual life of the Central Florida community. Her first book and numerous articles have focused on the philosophy of Franz Rosenzweig. Her second book in progress is on the concepts of love and Eros in the history of Jewish thought. She has a keen interest in and has been a student of Yoga and meditation for two decades; has traveled to India and Israel with students; and has offered service learning courses locally and internationally.
Dr. Claude F. Jacobs, Assistant Professor, Department of Behavioral
Sciences, The University of Michigan-Dearborn
Claude Jacobs received his Ph.D. in anthropology from Tulane University. His major areas of interest are anthropology of religion, medical anthropology, ethnicity, Latin America, and African Americans. He is currently assistant professor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn where each year he offers a course in religion and culture. His major research in the area of religion has been on African American Spiritual churches. His most recent research focuses on variation within religious traditions. Claude Jacobs received his Ph.D. in anthropology from Tulane University.
The Pluralism Project at the University of Michigan-Dearborn is a part of the teaching and research program in anthropology of the Department of Behavioral Sciences. The aim of the research is to map the religious landscape of metropolitan Detroit. The Project is an integral part of Anthropology 440 (Religion and Culture), but is drawing on faculty and students from a variety of disciplines within the university to complete the research.
Dr. Karen Pechilis Prentiss, Assistant Professor, Religious Studies,
Drew University
Karen Pechilis Prentiss is directing the Pluralism Project Affiliate
Group concerned with "Traditional Religions New to the New Jersey Area,"
one of two affiliate groups at Drew University. The group includes a
professor of Islam (C. Taylor), a professor of Ecumenical Theology (W.
Ariarajah), a professor of Psychology and Religion (D. Austin), and two
graduate students (I. Govindan and P. Dodenhoff). Their research has shown
that the largest Asian immigrant group in New Jersey is from South Asia,
primarily India. The focus of Dr. Prentiss’ presentation will be on
Hinduism. She will discuss the establishment of Hinduism in America, its
recent development in immigrant-based temple building, and the workings of
the temple. She will also indicate directions of research currently being
undertaken by other participants in the project.
Religious Participation in Civil Society: The View from
Advocacy Organizations
Mr. Aly R. Abuzaakouk, Executive Director, The American Muslim
Council
Aly R. Abuzaakouk is currently the Executive Director of the American Muslim Council (AMC). He has more than 25 years of experience as a lecturer (University of Benghazi); publisher, journalist and public lecturer. Mr. Abuzaakouk has a B.A. in Journalism (University of Cairo 1967) and has completed M.A. degree programs in Islamic Studies (University of Michigan 1981) and Communications (Stanford University 1971). He was also involved in two Ph.D. programs in Communications (University of Iowa) and in Islamic Studies (University of Michigan).
The American Muslim Council works for the political inclusion and empowerment of American Muslims in the U.S. political and public policy arenas. Its activities include advocacy on behalf of American Muslims in Congress and the administration and outreach for greater political awareness in the Muslim community. AMC was on the cutting edge of many historic breakthroughs, including the first Islamic opening prayers in the House and Senate and the first Eid celebration at the White House and Capitol Hill. AMC continues to fight stereotyping of Muslims and serves as a resource for interfaith dialogue.
Ms. Sheila R. Decter, Executive Director (New England Region),
American Jewish Congress
Sheila R. Decter serves as Executive Director of the New England Region of the American Jewish Congress, a position she has held for 21 years. She has initiated and staffed broad interfaith and interracial coalitions for over two decades in support of civil rights, public education, affordable housing, reproductive rights, provision of services to persons with AIDS, immigrant needs and advocacy on behalf of human services. Ms. Decter is a founding member of Community Servings, a hot home-delivered meals program for persons with AIDS, which is a program developed by the American Jewish Congress. She also helped to start Citizens for Public Schools, a coalition of civic, educational and religious groups who support public education and work to improve public education and its financial support.
For over 80 years the American Jewish Congress has distinguished itself in the United States and around the world for its tireless work in defense of human rights and American constitutional guarantees. Founded in 1918 by Louis D. Brandeis and others, AJCongress has been widely acclaimed for its skill in building coalitions among organizations and individuals to combat all forms of prejudice, and to serve humanitarian purposes which protect our most cherished values and beliefs. AJCongress has as its mission to protect fundamental constitutional freedoms and American democratic institutions, particularly the civil and religious rights and liberties of all Americans and the separation of church and state.
Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, Executive Director, The Interfaith Alliance
Author of over 20 books, including Faith and Politics: What’s a Christian to Do, Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy leads the national non-partisan grassroots and educational organizations, The Interfaith Alliance and The Interfaith Alliance Foundation. In addition to being a prolific writer, Dr. Gaddy provides regular commentary to the national media on issues relating to religion and politics. While ministering to churches with a message of inclusion, Dr. Gaddy emerged as a leader among progressive and moderate Baptists. Among his many leadership roles, he is the current President of the Alliance of Baptists and is a member of the Commission of Christian Ethics of the Baptist World Alliance. His past leadership roles include serving as a member of the General Council of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, President of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and as Chair of the Pastoral Leadership Commission of the Baptist World Alliance. Prior to fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention, Dr. Gaddy served in many leadership roles in the SBC including serving as a member of the SBC’s Executive Committee from 1980-1984 and as the Director of Christian Citizenship Development of the SBC’s Christian Life Commission from 1973-1977. Dr. Gaddy is married to Julia Mae Grabiel and they have two sons, John Paul and James Welton. Dr. Gaddy received his undergraduate degree from Union University in Tennessee and his doctoral degree and divinity training from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.
At a time when Americans fear values are being undermined, communities frayed, and the strength of families and children's future threatened, The Interfaith Alliance (TIA) offers hope and renewal. TIA members believe in the dignity of the individual and the importance of community. These religious principles compel them to take responsibility for both their own communities and the larger national community. As a non-partisan organization, TIA offers Americans a mainstream, faith-based agenda committed to the positive role of religion as a healing and constructive force in public life. TIA draws on shared religious principles to challenge those who manipulate religion to promote an extreme political agenda based on a false gospel of irresponsible individualism. This false gospel threatens families, values and the future. TIA believes they must not only give voice to mainstream values, but also take action to preserve and express their shared beliefs. They are committed to supporting families, ensuring opportunity and honoring freedom.
Founded in 1994, TIA has grown into a national grassroots organization of people of faith and goodwill drawn from over 50 faith traditions dedicated to promoting mutual respect, cooperation and civility in the life of the nation. From these shared principles, TIA challenges those who manipulate religion to promote divisive and exclusionary political agendas. With a membership of 80,000, the Religious Leaders Network in 50 states, a cyber network of 10,000 activists, and local clergy-led Alliances in 38 states, TIA is encouraging the active involvement of people of faith and goodwill in civic life.
Dr. Mahesh Mehta, Chairman of Advisory Board, Vishwa Hindu Parishad
(VHP) of America, Inc.
Dr. Mahesh Mehta is the Founder of VHP of America. He served as General Secretary of the National Organization from 1972-1989, and as President from 1990-1994. Dr. Mehta organized the Global Vision 2000 program in Washington, DC in 1993 to commemorate the centenary of Swami Vivekananda's Chicago Address. Over 12,000 people from all walks of life and from 60 countries participated in this event. Dr. Mehta has traveled in many countries to promote the objectives of Parishad work. He is deeply involved in development programs in the fields of education and health in India. Dr. Mehta is a Membrane Scientist and works as a Vice President of Research & Development at Koch Membrane Systems in Boston area.
Mr. Rajwinder Singh, Director of Research, Sikh Mediawatch and
Resource Taskforce
After growing up in Punjab (India), Rajwinder Singh has been living in Boston for the last five years, attending graduate school at Boston University's College of Engineering. He is a member of the congregation of the New England Sikh Study Circle (Milford, MA) and currently serves on its executive committee as Joint Secretary. He is the director of research for the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART). In addition to SMART and the local Sikh community, he actively participates in Boston University's interfaith programs.
Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART), founded in 1996, is a Washington, D.C.-based Sikh advocacy group having the following goals: a) monitor media sources for misinformation and misrepresentation of the Sikh faith and its adherents, and to correct such errors; b) serve as a source of accurate and verifiable information on all aspects of the Sikh religion and its adherents: theology, culture, history and politics; c) educate the general American polity about the Sikhs, their culture and their heritage; d) educate the Sikh American community about its civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights; other fundamental freedoms enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and work to advocate and promote these rights; e) develop resources and provide services to empower the community to fully realize and enjoy the aforementioned rights; and f) perform the aforementioned objectives in a non-political manner and by remaining unbiased in all respects.
SMART's aim is to build bridges of understanding, to help foster greater
social harmony and acquaintance of Sikhs as an integral, active part of the
wonderfully diverse American community. SMART believes the Sikh American
community has an important contribution to make to all aspects of society,
and that this will be promoted by accurate media coverage. SMART is
ultimately dedicated towards the betterment of the Sikh American community
and its active participation in the greater American polity. SMART is a
non-profit organization with a diverse membership across North America.
Religious Participation in Civil Society: The View
from the Academy
Dr. Vasudha Narayanan, University of Florida-Gainesville, "Profiling
Hindu Temples"
Vasudha Narayanan is a Professor in the Department of Religion and Interim Director of the Center for Women's Studies and Gender Research at the University of Florida. She is the author and editor of five books and numerous articles. Her current projects focus on Hindu Devotional Literature and Hinduism in America. Her book, The Hindu Traditions in the United States: Temple Space, Domestic Space and Cyberspace, is to be published next year by Columbia University Press. Professor Narayanan's research has been supported by many agencies including The John Simon Guggenheim foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Social ScienceResearch Council. She was recently elected Vice President of the American Academy of Religion.
Her presentation at the symposium will focus on the ways in which Hindus, Hindu Institutions and Organizations are becoming part of "mainstream" American life. In particular, many temples now have "Humanitarian" committees which work with Christian and Civic organizations to collect food, raise funds and contribute services to help a variety of causes—the homeless, AIDS patients, etc. The reasons for such activities and preliminary effects in the ecumenical theater will be discussed.
Dr. Paul D. Numrich, University of Illinois-Chicago, "Buddhist
Chicago Project"
Paul Numrich received his Ph.D. in Religion from Northwestern University. His 1996 book, Old Wisdom in the New World (University of Tennessee Press), examines the growth and development of immigrant Theravada Buddhist temples in America, focusing on case studies in Chicago and Los Angeles. Dr. Numrich has served as Research Assistant Professor in the Religion in Urban America Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago since 1994, during which time he has published essays on the changing religious landscape of metropolitan Chicago and the family ministry programs of a Pentecostal megachurch in the technoburb of Naperville. Dr. Numrich has also contributed to two new books on Buddhism in America, and currently serves as an academic consultant to the Buddhist Council of the Midwest.
The Buddhist Chicago Project seeks an "on the ground" contextualization of Buddhism as a social system within a particular American metropolis. The project investigates several key issues, including how Buddhist groups within a metropolitan region interrelate. Since 1992, the Religion in Urban America Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago has researched the ways in which religious organizations serve people and address key issues in America's rapidly restructuring metropolitan areas. The heart of the study is an empirical examination of religious organizations in greater Chicago. To some extent, the project follows in the tradition of "urban ministry" studies; however, in view of the growing diversity of world religions in America's urban centers, the project also seeks to understand the contributions of Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and others to the cultural and moral quality of the city. The project's first book is due out this year from New York University Press.
Dr. Vivodh Z.J. Anand, Adjunct Professor, Montclair State University;
Chairman, Cornstalk, "The Ten Year History of Navratri in Edison, New
Jersey"
Vivodh Anand, a New Jersey State Civil Rights Commissioner, emigrated from India in 1963. Since then he has been involved with issues of religious pluralism and the experience of people of color in the United States. Following a successful twenty-year sales and marketing career at AT&T and Bell Atlantic, Dr. Anand founded and chairs CORNSTALK. The organization, named to acknowledge the Native American continent, is a collaboration of academics who assist organizations dealing with changes and differences brought by diversity to the workplace and to communities.
Anand serves as Communications Director for the Indo-American Cultural Society and the Indian Business Association of Edison New Jersey. The Indo-American Cultural Society successfully won a landmark Federal ruling against the Township of Edison’s unconstitutional ordinances restricting Navratri celebrations. Navratri is a major Hindu festival in North East India. Anand also coordinates the Glen Ridge Human Relations Committee, formed in 1994 in response to a rash of local anti-Semitic bias activity. He serves on the Boards of the Institute for Community Studies at Montclair State University and the New Jersey Stamp Out Hate Coalition.
Religious Participation in Civil Society: The View from
the Federal Government
Ms. Maureen Shea, Associate Director for Public Liason, The White
House
Maureen Shea is Associate Director for Public Liaison at the White House. She works primarily with the religious community, as well as with foundations and other non-profits. Previously she was Director of Outreach to Women at the Democratic National Committee. For the last 25 years Shea has worked with or consulted for a number of political groups including the Center for Responsive Politics, Advocacy Institute, and the Women’s Campaign Fund. She also was a lobbyist at Common Cause for five years. She lives on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC with her husband and son.
Captain Russ Gunter, Chaplain Corps, U.S. Navy, Executive Director,
Armed Forces Chaplains Board, Office of the Secretary of Defense
Chaplain Gunter was ordained with the Pentecostal Holiness Church in
July, 1967; and, upon graduation from seminary (Candler School of Theology,
Emory University), was commissioned as a Navy chaplain, Lieutenant, Junior
Grade, in August, 1977 and reported for duty in September, 1977. In
Chaplain Gunter's 22 years on active duty as a Navy chaplain, he has served
with both Navy and Marine Corps units. His tours of duty include an initial
assignment in USS CLEVELAND (LPD-7), during which time he deployed to the
Western Pacific and a subsequent assignment at the National Naval Medical
Center as a hospital chaplain. After an overseas assignment with the Naval
Security Group, Rota, Spain, he worked as a staff chaplain in the office of
the Navy Chief of Chaplains. Prior to his current assignment, he served as
Command Chaplain, Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Virginia. Chaplain Gunter
holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of South Alabama
(Secondary Education). He earned a Master of Divinity degree from Emory
University, and a Master of Theology degree from Princeton Theological
Seminary (Religious Education). Chaplain Gunter's personal awards include
the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (third award), the
Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and the National Defense Medal.
Public and Private Schools and the Shaping of Civil
Society: Framing the Issues
Dr. Charles Haynes, Senior Scholar for Religious Freedom Programs,
Freedom Forum First Amendment Center
Charles C. Haynes Ph.D., is recognized as a leading authority on religious liberty issues in public education. He is currently the Senior Scholar for Religious Freedom Programs at the Freedom Forum’s World Center in Arlington, Virginia. He presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Character Education Partnership.
Dr. Haynes was one of the principal organizers and drafters of Religious Liberty, Public Education and the Future of American Democracy: A Statement of Principles sponsored by twenty-four major educational and religious organizations. He also co-chaired the coalitions that produced a series of consensus guidelines on "Religion in the Public School Curriculum" and "Religious Holidays in the Public Schools" and "The Equal Access Act." He is the author of Religion in American History: What to Teach and How and Finding Common Ground: A First Amendment Guide to Religion and Public Education. He co-authored Taking Religion Seriously Across the Curriculum and Living With Our Deepest Differences: Religious Liberty in a Pluralistic Society, a social studies curriculum.
Dr. Haynes holds a master’s degree in religion and education from Harvard Divinity School and a Ph.D. in theological studies from Emory University. He formerly taught world religions at Randolph-Macon College and social studies in both public and private secondary schools.<
The First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, is an independent operating program of The Freedom Forum. The center' s mission is to foster public understanding of and appreciation for First Amendment rights and values.
Through its Religious Freedom Programs, the center helps schools and communities throughout the nation address issues concerning religion and values in public education. For more information about the work of the Religious Freedom Programs, contact Dr. Charles C. Haynes, Senior Scholar, Freedom Forum First Amendment Center, 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 20009. E-mail address: chaynes@freedomforum.org.
Public and Private Schools and the Shaping of Civil
Society: Issues "On the Ground"
Ms. Polly Attwood, Brookline High School / Harvard Graduate School of
Education
As a teacher of Social Studies for 12 years in Brookline, Massachusetts, Polly taught World Religions and worked as part of a team of teachers to develop a new World History curriculum within which the study of world religions is an integral part of the content. Currently, she is on leave and pursuing a doctorate in teacher education and development at Harvard's School of Education. She is also a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and The Program in Religion and Secondary Education.
Ms. Marcia Beauchamp, Religious Freedom Programs Coordinator, Freedom
Forum First Amendment Center
Marcia Beauchamp is currently the Religious Freedom Programs Coordinator for The Freedom Forum Pacific Coast Center. In her capacity as programs coordinator, she is responsible for coordinating the efforts of the California 3Rs Project (Rights, Responsibilities, and Respect), the largest of the state education projects sponsored by the First Amendment Center. Ms. Beauchamp has taught high school government and economics, as well as a college course in social issues. She holds a master's degree in theological studies and secondary education from Harvard Divinity School, and a bachelor of arts, philosophy and religion degree from Hendrix College, where she graduated magna cum laude. Marcia is a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Mr. Tom Collins, Director of the Saint Francis Project in Religious
Texts and Classics; Curriculum Specialist, Council for Spiritual and
Ethical Education
Tom Collins has taught world history and religious studies in independent schools for over ten years. He is the director of the Saint Francis Project in Religious Texts and Classics which is a summer educational program in world religions that brings together secondary and college teachers to engage together in the critical study of a religious text. He works also as the curriculum specialist for CSEE helping independent school religious studies departments develop curriculum, plan conferences, and network with other colleagues in the field.
Mr. Ray Williams, Curator of Education, Ackland Art Museum of the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Director, Five Faiths
Project
Ray Williams has been curator of education for the University of North Carolina's Ackland Art Museum since 1987. He received an M.A. in Art History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In 1997 the National Art Education Association named Williams "National Art Museum Educator of the Year." His professional interests include interactive gallery teaching, storytelling, and cultural diversity issues.
As director of the Ackland's "Five Faiths Project," Williams has organized artist residencies in five local faith communities to involve both children and adults in sharing information about their experience of religion. The work has resulted in an exhibition of children's photography; five hour-long recordings of religious stories; a gallery guide; a series of instructional posters featuring works of art originally used in religious practice; and the beginnings of a multi-media database. Next spring, as a Visiting Scholar at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Williams will work on a paper documenting the work of the "Five Faiths Project" and encouraging museums to explore interpretive approaches to collections that foster interfaith dialogue and understanding.
Moderator of Symposium Panels
Dr. Diana L. Eck, Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian
Studies at Harvard University; Director of the Pluralism Project
Diana L. Eck is Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies at Harvard University and Director of the Pluralism Project. As a scholar of the religious traditions of India, she has published Banaras, City of Light and Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India. Her book Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras is about interreligious dialogue and Christian faith in a world of many faiths. With the Pluralism Project, she has turned her attention to the United States and produced the CD-ROM, On Common Ground: World Religions in America, for which she received a National Humanities Medal in 1998 from President Clinton. She is a member of the Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, the Committee on the Study of Religion, and the Divinity School Faculty. She and her partner, Dorothy Austin, are Masters of Lowell House, one of Harvard's twelve residential houses for undergraduates.
Dr. Diana L. Eck created the Pluralism Project in 1991 to study and document the growing religious diversity of the United States, with a special view to its new immigrant religious communities. For more information about the work of the Pluralism Project, see www.pluralism.org.