Dartmouth Events

Marko Geslani, University of South Carolina
Thursday, April 14
4:30pm in Moore BO3

Talk title: "Orientalism for All the Orientals!"

Talk Abstract: "For better or worse, the study of religion harbors one of the last great bastions of Orientalism, the academic study of Asia, and especially its premodern past. And the endurance of this episteme casts an ominous shadow over current attempts at racial reform in the discipline, as seen in the growth of Black and Latinx religious studies. What would it take to reclaim the heritage of Orientalism in the name of the BIPOC erstwhile “primitives” excluded by its civilizing discourse? Can there be a Black-Brown Orientalism? This paper offers a positional meditation on the nature of this difficult problem, from the perspective of a Filipino American Sanskritist teaching Hinduism and Buddhism in the Deep South. Detailing the challenges in appropriating Asian classicism for nonwhite non-heritage students, I suggest that the proposal of “Orientalism for All the Orientals” in this fashion not only requires a continuation of Edward Said’s critique in the context of contemporary American Orientalism, but also reveals the limits of secular history."

Forum on Race & Religion

As part of the on-going efforts to transition to an actively anti-racist department at Dartmouth College, the faculty of the Religion Department announce the establishment of a series of panel discussions and colloquia focusing on the intersection of race and religion. This initiative is being undertaken in response to the distressingly frequent incidence of racial violence not only in the United States but in many countries throughout the world.  Sadly, religions have played important roles in encouraging and legitimating racial and ethnic oppression. However, religion has also inspired extraordinary acts of resistance and critiques of racial injustice.  These series of events will explore the complexity and volatility of the relationship between race and religion, not only in the United States, but in other parts of the world.  Each forum will allow time for discussion and will be open to students, faculty, and staff of Dartmouth College.

For more information, please visit: https://religion.dartmouth.edu/menufeature/news-events/forum-race-religion

Details about Dartmouth College Health & Safety policies are available HERE.