1:30 – 2:30 pm Fri Jan 13, 2012 U of T Multi-Faith Centre 569 Spadina Ave For Directions http://www.multifaith.utoronto.ca/Contact-Us–Book-Space.htm#Directions

Contesting the boundaries for the expression and accommodation of religious/creed belief and practice in the public sphere with:

Prof. Richard Moon, Faculty of Law, University of Windsor, past President of the Canadian Law and Society . . . → Read More: Religious Rights and Wrongs]]> Human rights and wrongs:
Religion and creed in the public sphere

1:30 – 2:30 pm
Fri Jan 13, 2012
U of T Multi-Faith Centre
569 Spadina Ave
For Directions http://www.multifaith.utoronto.ca/Contact-Us–Book-Space.htm#Directions

Contesting the boundaries for the expression and accommodation of religious/creed belief and practice in the public sphere with:

Prof. Richard Moon, Faculty of Law, University of Windsor, past President of the Canadian Law and Society Association.

Prof. Iain Benson, Senior Associate Counsel with the Litigation Practice Group and Senior Research Fellow with the Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of religion and Public Life, University of Alberta.

*How do Christians engage in mission and witness with respect among people of different faiths?*

*Tuesday, November 22nd * *from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m.*

*Alumni Hall (VC Room 112), Victoria College, University of Toronto*

*91 Charles Street West, Toronto*

An opportunity to reflect on a document on the conduct of mission “according to gospel . . . → Read More: Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct]]> *Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct*

*How do Christians engage in mission and witness with respect among
people of different faiths?*

*Tuesday, November 22nd * *from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m.*

*Alumni Hall (VC Room 112), Victoria College, University of Toronto*

*91 Charles Street West, Toronto*

An opportunity to reflect on a document on the conduct of mission
“according to gospel principles”, released in June by**the World Council
of Churches (WCC), the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue
(PCID) of the Roman Catholic Church and the World Evangelical Alliance
(WEA). This document represents “an historic moment” in the quest for
Christian unity.

*What are the challenges and affirmations these principles and
recommendations offer for the mission and witness of churches in Canada?*

*What are the implications of this document in our contexts?*

*How might we share this document in our constituencies?*

The event will include panels presenting a variety of perspectives on
the document and its implications for the Canadian context, and
opportunities for participants to share their experiences and response.

*All who have interest in mission, evangelism or interfaith dialogue are
invited. Participants from diverse faith communities are warmly welcome!*

Link to the document:
http://www.worldevangelicals.org/resources/source.htm?id=288

Co-sponsored by: Canadian Churches Forum for Global Ministries

Canadian Council of Churches

Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada

World Council of Churches and WCC members in Canada

Matthew Engelke is a senior lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at the London School of Economics. He has conducted research on . . . → Read More: The Anthropology of After Religion (Dr. Matthew Engelke)]]> The Department for the Study of Religion is co-hosting, along with Diaspora and Transnational Studies and Anthropology, a public lecture by Dr. Matthew Eneglke Wednesday, October 12th at 4pm in JHB 100.

Matthew Engelke is a senior lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at the London School of Economics. He has conducted research on Christianity in Zimbabwe and in England. His book A Problem of Presence: Beyond Scripture in an African Church (University of California Press, 2007) won the 2008 Clifford Geertz Prize from the Society for the Anthropology of Religion and the 2009 Victor Turner Prize for Ethnographic Writing from the Society for Humanistic Anthropology. He is the editor of Prickly Paradigm Press and the editor designate of the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute.

8:45AM – 9:00AM Coffee & Tea & Muffins

9:00AM – 10:30 AM Panel 1: Style versus Substance? Form and Beauty in Religious Discourse

Panel Chair: Tenzan Eaghll

“The Poetics of Immanence: A Very Brief Exploration of the Aesthetics of Abhinavagupta’s Tranāloka.” Eric Steinschneider, University of Toronto

“Poetic Falsehood: The Ethics of Ornamentation.” . . . → Read More: “The Beauty of Religion” Graduate Symposium]]>

April 15th, 2011
Jackman Humanities Building, 170 St. George Street, 1st Floor

8:45AM – 9:00AM Coffee & Tea & Muffins

9:00AM – 10:30 AM Panel 1: Style versus Substance? Form and Beauty in Religious Discourse

Panel Chair: Tenzan Eaghll

“The Poetics of Immanence: A Very Brief Exploration of the Aesthetics of Abhinavagupta’s Tranāloka.” Eric Steinschneider, University of Toronto

“Poetic Falsehood: The Ethics of Ornamentation.” Dianna Roberts, University of Toronto

“Lovely Ideas”: Hans Urs von Balthasar, Blaise Pascal, and the Primacy of External Beauty in Conversion.” C. Andrew Thompson-Briggs, Villanova University.

10:30AM– 12:00PM Panel 2: Seductive Subversions: The Power of Artistic Expression

Panel Chair: Maria Dasios

“Reinventing Bhabhi: What Stands to be Learned from “Savita Bhabi and Other Works of Indian Pornography.” Amanda S. Ocasio, Northern Arizona University.

“God in Ruins? Religion as Resistance in Raul Zurita’s Anteparaiso.” Jeannine M. Pitas, University of Toronto.

“Niqab and Heels: Visual Protest in Paris.” Kendra Sarna, University of California, Santa Barbar

12:00PM– 1:00PM LUNCH BREAK: Lunch Provided by the DSR Student Association

1:00PM – 2:30PM Panel 3: That’s Hot: Reimagining Representations

Panel Chair: Arun Brahmbhatt

“Divine Human: The Characterization of the Bodhisattva in the Lalitavistara.” Xi He, University of Chicago.

“The Eye of the Beholder: Byzantine Icons and the Disciplining of the Gaze.” Maria Dasios, University of Toronto.

“Augustine and Dante’s Inferno: Perspectives on Depicting Hell.” Rex Barnes, Concordia University.

2:30PM – 4:00PM Panel 4: Come Together (Right Now): The Arts in Religious Communities

Panel Chair: Nathalie LaCoste

“Music and the Problem of Emotion in Early Christian Communities.” Jade Weimer, University of Toronto.

“The Influence of the Religion of Beauty in Organized Religion During the Gilded Age.” Josh Probert, University of Delaware in cooperation with the Winterhur Museum.

“Beauty, Class, and Culture in Religious Discourse: Theological Aesthetics and Economic Justice in North American Christianity.” Kevin Minister, Southern Methodist University

4:15PM – 5:30PM Roundtable: What role does “beauty” play in religion today?

Chair: Nicholas Dion Participants: Bonnie deBruijn, David Kaden, Professor Ken Derry & Professor Karen Ruffle.

5:30 – Onwards: Mixer and Munchies: Duke of York: We are pleased to invite you to join us at the Duke of York Pub following the Roundtable for a drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) munchies will be provided!

The University will be hosting a special event entitled “A Public Observance of Solidarity with the People of Japan and . . . → Read More: A Public Observance of Solidarity with the People of Japan and the Pacific Rim]]>

As you may already know, the University issued an expression of sympathy on March 11, 2011 in response to the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the Pacific Rim. (See the U of T home page: www.utoronto.ca).

The University will be hosting a special event entitled “A Public Observance of Solidarity with the People of Japan and the Pacific Rim” on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 12:00 p.m. in the Main Activity Room, Multi-Faith Centre, 569 Spadina Ave. (Eastside Spadina North of Russell St.). All students, faculty and staff are invited to attend.

This event will be an opportunity for our community to reflect on the devastating impact of the earthquake and tsunami, and show our solidarity with those who have been directly and indirectly affected by these events.

In a community as generous and innovative as the University of Toronto, many opportunities to help are already emerging with several student-lead initiatives completed (and more have been planned). We are sure that this kind support will continue over the coming weeks and months as the needs of those in this region continue to emerge. Suggestions on ways of giving have now been added to the web page noted above (see www.utoronto.ca). The Consulate-General of Japan in Toronto has specifically suggested donations to the Canadian Red Cross (www.redcross.ca). Other options are linked from the web site.

If you have questions about the event, please contact Joan Griffin in the Office of the Vice-Provost, Students at 416-978-2083 or via email to joan.griffin@utoronto.ca.

A Public Observance of Solidarity with the People of Japan and the Pacific Rim
Tuesday, March 29, 2011, Noon
Main Activity Room, Multi-Faith Centre
569 Spadina Avenue

“Preksha Dhyana in Jain Yoga:  an Archetypal Ritual for the Proper Ordering of the Soul.”

Speaker:  Smita Kothari

Response by: Srilata Raman

Date: Thursday March 24th

Time:  2-4pm

Location:   Jackman Humanities . . . → Read More: Colloquium March 24th: Preksha Dhyana in Jaina Yoga]]> Please join us at the Department for the Study of Religion for our next colloquium

“Preksha Dhyana in Jain Yoga:  an Archetypal Ritual for the Proper Ordering of the Soul.”

Speaker:  Smita Kothari

Response by: Srilata Raman

Date: Thursday March 24th

Time:  2-4pm

Location:   Jackman Humanities Building 318

TRANSNATIONAL FUTURES? Shifting Borders and the Dynamics of Diaspora Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies Graduate Student Conference

The Robert Gill Theatre at the University of Toronto 214 College Street, 3rd flr (St. George entrance) Friday, March 25 – . . . → Read More: Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies Graduate Student Conference]]> The Graduate Students of the Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies at the University of Toronto invite you to:

TRANSNATIONAL FUTURES? Shifting Borders and the Dynamics of Diaspora Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies Graduate Student Conference

The Robert Gill Theatre at the University of Toronto
214 College Street, 3rd flr (St. George entrance)
Friday, March 25 – Saturday, March 26, 2011

Diaspora studies can be fixated on the past.  Themes such as nostalgia, memory, loss, and longing loom large in the field.  What changes as we turn our attention to the future?

This two-day conference is dedicated to exploring the futures of diaspora; of the nation-state (and other defined territories); of the people located within, without, and among these boundaries, both real and imaginary; and of the emerging field of diaspora and transnational studies.

The keynote address will be delivered by Khachig Tölölyan, professor of English and Letters at Wesleyan University and founder and editor of Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies, on Friday at 7:30.

For a complete conference schedule: http://groups.chass.utoronto.ca/transnationalfutures/?page_id=31

Find us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=181950851847347

Please direct all questions and comments about the conference to: transnationalfutures@gmail.com