Department of Religious Studies faculty presented research and participated in leadership roles at the joint annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL).
Faculty in the Department of Religious Studies at Elon University presented research and participated in their leadership roles at the joint annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), held Nov. 23 through Nov. 26 in San Diego, California.
Amy Allocco, professor of religious studies, presented a paper as part of a session titled “Embodying the Sensuous: Sikh Poetry, Aesthetics, Ecology, and Feminisms.” Allocco was one of six presenters in this roundtable focusing on the work of Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh (Colby College), a renowned scholar specializing in feminist approaches to the aesthetic and ethical dimensions of Sikh sacred art, poetry, philosophy and practice. Singh offered a response to the six papers in the session.
Lynn R. Huber, Maude Sharpe Powell professor of religious studies, presented on an invited panel exploring the future of gender studies in conjunction with scholarship on the Book of Revelation. She also participated in a new mentoring initiative for early career scholars who identify along the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.
Ariela Marcus-Sells, associate professor of religious studies, presented two papers, one titled “Science, Sorcery, or Superstition: Debating Cosmology in the Sahara” and one titled “Teaching ‘A New Vision’ for Islamic Studies.”
Rebecca Todd Peters, professor of religious studies, presented on a panel responding to Jason Springs’ book “Restorative Justice and Lived Religion: Transforming Mass Incarceration in Chicago.”
Pamela D. Winfield, professor of religious studies (currently serving in a temporary appointment as the Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies at McGill University) was elected to serve on the AAR’s Program Committee for a four-year term (2025-2029). This high-level committee oversees all aspects of the year-round planning process for the Annual Conference.