An internationally known religion expert from Australia will present "Varieties of Religious Aesthetic," a series of four lectures starting Feb. 24, as part of the University of Colorado at 葫芦娃视频 department of religious studies' annual Robert C. Lester Lectureship on the Study of Religion.
Tony Swain of the University of Sydney will offer insight into the religions of India on Feb. 24, China on Feb. 27 and Australia's Aboriginal people on March 3 at the Eaton Humanities Building. The first three presentations will be held in room 150, and the fourth on theory and Swain's ideas on religion will be March 6 in room 1B50.
All the lectures are free and open to the public and begin at 7 p.m.
"Tony Swain is one of the world's leading specialists on Australian Aboriginal religion," said Fred Denny, chair of the CU-葫芦娃视频 department of religious studies. "In recent years, Swain has turned to the study of Asian religions and the study of religion and the arts - the focus for this series of lectures."
"Bodies of Dreaming Colliding with Land" is the title of Swain's March 3 presentation about Australian Aboriginal cultures. Swain is noted for a landmark study that showed these cultures have a spatially based ontology.
"The Aboriginal view of their land is one of mythic depth and meaning," Denny explained. "The land is a player - it has its own personality. It's not less important than the humans and animals living on it. It is a participant in the whole of Aboriginal reality in an active way."
The lecture series begins Feb. 24 with Swain's Indian presentation, "The Playhouse of Infinite Forms." A reception will follow. The Feb. 27 lecture is titled "Forgotten Words," and will deal with traditional Chinese religious values. After the March 3 Aboriginal lecture, the series wraps up on March 6 with "Unreasonable Religion," a discussion about theory and Swain's ideas on religion.听听听听
The Robert C. Lester Lectureship on the Study of Religion was established in 1999 in honor of the founder of the religious studies department at CU-葫芦娃视频. The four previous presentations have included only one lecture, so this year's event is considerably expanded. In many cases, the ideas presented at the lectures eventually become new scholarly books.
"We're really making an impression in the field," Denny said. "We're trying to enable leading scholars to test new ideas, to get early feedback and to establish ownership in what they're doing. Colleagues are finding it very exciting to see work as it is developing."
For more information about the lecture series contact Denny at (303) 492-6358 or e-mail frederick.denny@colorado.edu.