Our little religious studies program is really starting to get a groove on!
The "Everyday Religion and Sustainable Environments in the Himalayas" research project has got a lot of us exploring the concept and methodology of the study of lived religion. We're having a roundtable on the topic in February which should include at least discussions of Jewish humor, Buddhist forestry, Hindu water use and whatever I come up with. Maybe I'll get some ideas during the trip I'm taking as part of the project this coming January, which will take me back to Nepal and Delhi, and perhaps also to Sikkim and Darjeeling! Or maybe I'll take a swipe at queer Christianity as a site for understanding lived religion...
Why queer Christianity? Well... the Provost's Office just announced the academic symposia and conferences it will be supporting next semester. Among the seven selections (out of 46 applications) was our proposal for a conference called "Queer Christianities." We proposed it because a number of our courses this academic year touch on the topic (including my course this semester), but since then we have seen other schools and institutions try to do it justice and fail badly. Now we get to put our money where our mouth was. Wish us luck!
