Harvard Divinity School

The Harvard Psychedelics Project at Harvard Divinity School, a student organization, presented this conference to gather faculty, researchers, and students from across Harvard University to explore their diverse, interdisciplinary, and promising research on psychedelics. Speakers came from across the University’s Schools, units, and departments, including the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Business School, Harvard College, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and POPLAR at the Petrie-Flom Center. This third series of talks featured Suzannah Clark, Max Ingersoll, Logan Fahrenkopf, Jeffrey Breau, and Paul Gillis-Smith. This event took place on April 1, 2023 Learn more: https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/

This lecture on conjuring, gender, and decolonization was given by Visiting Associate Professor of Women and Gender Studies and African American Religions and Women's Studies in Religion Program 2022-23 Research Associate Xhercis Méndez. This event took place on April 11, 2023 Learn more: https://wsrp.hds.harvard.edu/

In collaboration with Harvard Divinity School and the Moses Mesoamerican Archive and Research Project at Harvard University, this symposium was designed to give momentum to our efforts to explore, catalogue, and promulgate Dr. Charles H. Long’s enduring intellectual contributions to the academic study of religion, history, and culture. The event featured an opening keynote on the symposium’s theme, critical responses to key passages from Long’s writings, and a closing keynote followed by a ceremonial libation. Speakers included Corey D. B. Walker, Jacob K. Olupona, Dianne M. Stewart, Tracey E. Hucks, Jennifer Reid, Davíd L. Carrasco, and Lee H. Butler, Jr. This event took place on April 14, 2023 Learn more: https://hds.harvard.edu/

The Harvard Psychedelics Project at Harvard Divinity School, a student organization, presented this conference to gather faculty, researchers, and students from across Harvard University to explore their diverse, interdisciplinary, and promising research on psychedelics. Speakers came from across the University’s Schools, units, and departments, including the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Business School, Harvard College, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and POPLAR at the Petrie-Flom Center. This panel concerning the regulation of psychedelics included Glenn Cohen, Rick Doblin, Mason Marks, Leonard Pickard, Jeffrey Breau, and Paul Gillis-Smith. This event took place on April 1, 2023 Learn more: https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/

“Thank you, George Floyd, for giving your life for justice.” These words, uttered by former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, were offered in memory of George Floyd. Pelosi would eventually apologize for her words, but the question remains: why did she make this claim? What was it—what is it—about antiblack state-sanctioned violence that lends itself so easily to justifying this violence? Which is to say, what is it about state-sanctioned antiblack violence that lends itself so easily to theodicean claims steeped in atonement logics? In this talk, Biko Mandela Gray suggests that one of the reasons this is possible is because blackness—and therefore black life—operates as a structure of dis/appearance. To an antiblack world, blackness appears largely in the moments that it is dead—which is to say, in the moments that it has disappeared. This (ghostly) structure of dis/appearance is, Gray argues, how religious ideas—such as theodicy, atonement, and yes, even justice—are steeped in (a need for) black death. T

This panel presented an opportunity to learn from the critical work being done by students to advance justice through analysis, reflection, and action at the intersection of race and climate. Mayra Rivera, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Religion and Latinx Studies, will offer an opening address. This event was part of HDS's Climate Justice Week. It took place April 11, 2023. Panelists Phil Scholer, MTS '24 Tracey Robertson Carter, HDS Special Student Nathan Samayo, MDiv '23 Eve Woldemikael, MDiv '24 Moderator Aliyah Collins, MDiv '23 Learn more: https://hds.harvard.edu/

How does religion shape the political, social, and economic systems that have contributed to climate collapse, in both explicit and embedded ways? How can a critical understanding of religion help us reimagine and develop effective responses to climate collapse? RPL Fellows with expertise in policy, environmental science, Native and Indigenous rights, and education discussed the ways religious and spiritual literacy can enhance policy and scientific efforts to understand the drivers of climate collapse and advance climate justice. This event was part of HDS's Climate Justice Week. It took place April 14, 2023. Panelists Cynthia Wilson: RPL Native and Indigenous Rights Fellow Teresa Cavazos Cohn: RPL Climate Justice Fellow Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart: RPL Government Fellow Moderator Sarabinh Levy-Brightman: RPL Education Fellow Learn more: https://hds.harvard.edu/

Join Research Associate Dr. Giovanna Parmigiani in a conversation with Dr. Natalie Dyer. Dr. Dyer is a Research Scientist with Connor Whole Health at University Hospitals, the President of the Center for Reiki Research, and a practicing Reiki master. In this discussion they talk about the role of Reiki and energy healing in improving health and well-being, the possibility of a non-materialist scientific paradigm, and Dr. Dyer’s latest research on universal love. This event took place on April 5, 2023 Learn more: https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/

In this conversation Catherine Brekus, Chair of the Committee on the Study of Religion, discusses the process and possibilities when applying to doctoral programs in religion. This event took place on April 14, 2023 Learn more: https://hds.harvard.edu/

What role does religion play in the movement for climate justice? How can religious communities serve as sites of organizing and activism? Panelists will discuss these questions through the lenses of religious literacy, climate grief, climate ministry, and practices to guide communities through the perils of climate catastrophe. This panel will feature: Terry Tempest Williams, HDS Writer-in-Residence Matthew Ichihashi Potts, Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church and the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals, MDiv '08, PhD '13 Rev. Vernon K. Walker, Program Director of Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW) Anna Del Castillo, MDiv '21, Climate Justice Researcher for Religion and Public Life This event took place on April 14, 2023 Learn more: https://hds.harvard.edu/

The question of Palestine and the Palestinians is shifting more and more from an external matter to an internal question of Israel, Zionism, and the Jewish people writ large. Religion and Public Life Visiting Scholar in Conflict and Peace Raef Zreik interrogates the ways questions of war and peace, borders, security, or the ‘two state’ solution become more and more internal to Israel. Related intimately to the state's identity, character and constitutional structure and democratic nature, these questions highlight the merging conversation of existence and essence. This event took place on March 23, 2023 Learn more: https://rpl.hds.harvard.edu/

The Harvard Psychedelics Project at Harvard Divinity School, a student organization, presented this conference to gather faculty, researchers, and students from across Harvard University to explore their diverse, interdisciplinary, and promising research on psychedelics. Speakers came from across the University’s Schools, units, and departments, including the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Business School, Harvard College, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and POPLAR at the Petrie-Flom Center. This first series of talks featured Franklin King, Yvan Beaussant, Grant Jones, Fernando Espi Forcen, Stephen J. Haggarty, Jeffrey Breau, and Paul Gillis-Smith. This event took place on April 1, 2023 Learn more: https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/

Charles Hallisey, Yehan Numata Senior Lecturer on Buddhist Literatures, talks about Buddhist Studies at Harvard, his path to teaching, and the beauty of the world. Faculty Focus is a special new podcast series from Harvard Divinity School, where we speak with HDS professors about their courses and research interests. Full episode transcript: https://hds.harvard.edu/news/2023/4/14/faculty-focus-charles-hallisey-beauty-world-buddhist-studies-harvard Learn more about HDS: hds.harvard.edu/ Music track: "Old Dog New Tricks"; Extreme Music Limited

Black Studies and Critical Race Theory constitute some of the most theoretically sophisticated conversations in the Humanities today on issues of individual and collective identities. The results have not yet been brought to bear on Jewish Studies, in general, or research on antisemitism, in particular. This talk, delivered by Shaul Magid and part of the Albert & Vera List Fund for Jewish Studies Lecture Series at the Center for the Study of World Religions, makes the case that antisemitism can be better theorized through engagement with theories of anti-Blackness, particularly Afropessimism. It focuses on how Jews write about antisemitism, how it is perceived in contemporary America, and how this discussion relates to race and Jewish identity. This event took place on April 3, 2023 Learn more: https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/ Full transcript: https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/news/2023/4/18/video-judeopessimism-antisemitism-history-and-critical-race-theory-shaul-magid

The Harvard Psychedelics Project at Harvard Divinity School, a student organization, presented this conference to gather faculty, researchers, and students from across Harvard University to explore their diverse, interdisciplinary, and promising research on psychedelics. Speakers came from across the University’s Schools, units, and departments, including the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Business School, Harvard College, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and POPLAR at the Petrie-Flom Center. This first series of talks featured Charles Stang, Natalia Schwien, Rachael Petersen, Andrea Lerner, Ned Hall, Justin Williams, Jeffrey Breau, and Paul Gillis-Smith. This event took place on April 1, 2023 Learn more: https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/

This lecture is the third of a four-part series this academic year. This series explores the moral and ethical questions surrounding the global climate crisis and the role of religious institutions, organization and members of the general public, outside the scientific community focused on saving the planet. Dekila Chungyalpa is a religion and ecology expert, having worked with faith and Indigenous leaders around the world on developing faith-led environmental and climate projects for 15 years. This event took place on March 22, 2023 Learn more: https://hds.harvard.edu/

This lecture on Jewish midwives was given by Visiting Assistant Professor of Judaism and Women's Studies in Religion Program 2022-23 Research Associate Jordan Katz. This event took place on March 22, 2023 Learn more: https://wsrp.hds.harvard.edu/

In this special episode of Faculty Focus, HDS professors John P. Brown and Charles Hallisey talk about why this summer’s Making Change Professional and Lifelong Learning program is such a valuable experience for those looking to make an investment in themselves and gain a new perspective on the challenges they face. Held across five lively and concentrated days of collaboration, close reading, and multilayered exercises, a team of faculty members from Harvard Divinity School and Harvard Business School will share their insights and reflections about religious and non-religious meanings of “the graciousness of the world” and its relevance for how we think about making change in a “world on fire.” To be held June 4-8, 2023, at Harvard Divinity School. Apply by May 1. Learn more about Making Change and apply: https://hds.harvard.edu/academics/professional-lifelong-learning Full transcript forthcoming:

There are two distinct concepts of translation at work in the encounter between an Amazonian Indigenous people, the Wari’, and the New Tribes Mission evangelical missionaries. While the missionaries conceive translation as a process of converting meanings between languages, conceived as linguistic codes that exist independently of culture, for the Wari’, in consonance with their perspectivist ontology, it is not language that differentiates beings but their bodies, given that those with similar bodies can, as a matter of principle, communicate with each other verbally. Translation is realized through the bodily metamorphosis objectified by mimetism and making kin, shamans being the translators par excellence, capable of circulating between distinct universes and providing the Wari’ with a dictionary-like lexicon that allows them to act in the context of dangerous encounters between humans and animals. This conversation with Aparecida Vilaça, Professor of Social Anthropology at Brazil’s Museu Nacional, aims to

This conversation was the last of the six-part series Religion and the Legacies of Slavery | A Series of Public Online Conversations. The featured speakers were HDS professors Karen L. King, David F. Holland, Dan McKanan, Terrence L. Johnson, and Tracey Hucks. This session was a discussion among presenters reflecting upon the insights shared throughout the series. In addition to identifying themes and throughlines among sessions, we returned to the overarching questions that framed this collaboration: What does the academic study of religion teach us about the complex histories and legacies of slavery? How can a deeper understanding of the roles of religion enhance our commitment to reparative action in our contemporary times? This event took place on March 20, 2023 Learn more: https://hds.harvard.edu/