Keywords

Enter a program, idea, office, or department into the field above and click go
 

Religious Studies



Program for Religious Studies

Patricia Johnston,
PRS Chair

Jessica Stearns,
PRS UDR

Kathryn Howell,
PRS Administrator

Rabb 259
Mail Stop 055
Brandeis University
P.O. Box 9110
Waltham, MA
02454

781-736-3498
781-736-8562 (fax)

PRS Co-Sponsored Events in April!!!

  • Wednesday, April 22 3:30 - 5pm Lown 2
  • Male Wives and Female Husbands: Reconfiguring Gender within the Tablighi Jama‘at in The Gambia

  • Marloes Janson, Visiting DAAD Scholar and Lecturer in Anthropology and the Center for German and European Studies

    • Over the years, the Tablighi Jama‘at has expanded into what is the largest Islamic movement of contemporary times. Despite its enormous influence, scholars have paid almost no attention to the movement in sub-Saharan Africa. This lecture focuses on The Gambia, which has grown into a flourishing center of Tablighi activities in West Africa during the last decade. Whereas Gambian Tablighis understand Tablighi doctrine as a return to the fundamentals of Islam, and as such to a traditional patriarchal gender ideology, the effect of their interventions is that they redefine prevailing divisions between female and male spheres of moral practice. By setting out on missionary tours, Tablighi women have gained greater prominence in the public sphere, a sphere generally considered ‘male’. In order to provide them with more time to perform missionary work, male Tablighis have taken over part of their wives’ domestic workload. This reconfiguration of gender roles is studied as the outcome of a reorientation to a new form of piety as a means of realizing a virtuous life that brings one closer to Allah.



    Contact: Laurel Carpenter, lcarpent@brandeis.edu 6-2210
  • Thrursday, April 23 5:30 - 7:30pm) Enjoying he Rhythm of Birth and Death: A Buddhist Perspective A lecture by Yoichi Kawada Director, Institute of Oriental Philosophy with commentary by Mary Catherine Bateson, Cultural Anthropologist and Author. What does it mean for death to be more than the  absence of life? Is it possible to experience both life and death with  equal delight? A recognized authority in Buddhist history and philosophy, Yoichi Kawada brings the insights of Buddhism to bear on these important questions. Mary Catherine Bateson will respond, and audience members will have the opportunity to participate in a whole-group dialogue session. Refreshments will follow. Please join us for a unique exploration into the conditions and perceptions of existence. No registration fee, but please click here to RSVP!




    • PRS News

    • New REL course for Spring 2009!!!

      REL 161a - "Chinese Religion and Thought". Taught by Prof. Yu Feng





    PRS Resources

    This page was last modified on April 21, 2009