Professor Jodi Magness Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Professor Jodi Magness Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
 

magnessDr. Jodi Magness, the Kenan Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excellence in Early Judaism in the Department of Religious Studies, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The new members announcement can be found here.

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is one of the oldest and most prestigious learned societies in the United States, and its members include more than 250 Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners. From the Academy’s website:

Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences honors excellence and convenes leaders from every field of human endeavor to examine new ideas, address issues of importance to the nation and the world, and work together “to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuous people.”

Prof. Magness came to Carolina in 2003, after having previously taught at Tufts University from 1992 to 2002. She holds a B.A. in Archaeology and History from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania. Her widely acclaimed publications include The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls (Eerdmans 2002), The Archaeology of the Early Islamic Settlement in Palestine (Eisenbrauns 2003), and The Archaeology of the Holy Land from the Destruction of Solomon’s Temple to the Muslim Conquest (Cambridge 2012). She is also the current President of the Archaeological Institute of America (2017-2019). She has participated in over 20 different archaeological excavations in Israel and Greece, and since 2011 she has directed excavations at the site of Huqoq in Galilee (www.huqoq.org).

We congratulate Jodi on this tremendous honor!

Posted in Faculty News on April 17, 2019. Bookmark the permalink.

Faculty Statement Regarding Racist and Antisemitic Incidents on Campus

Faculty Statement Regarding Racist and Antisemitic Incidents on Campus
 

Statement by Faculty in the Department of Religious Studies Regarding Recent Racist and Antisemitic Incidents on Campus
April 15, 2019

We condemn in the strongest terms the recent racist and antisemitic incidents on campus. Messages of hate concern us all. Repugnant and open displays of racism and antisemitism run counter to the values of an inclusive, safe, and welcoming campus environment for all. We firmly reject all forms of hatred and affirm our commitment to making this campus a place where all can be free from harassment and discrimination.

Posted in Faculty News, News & Events on April 15, 2019. Bookmark the permalink.

Professor Boon Wins 2019 SMFS Prize for Best Article

Professor Boon Wins 2019 SMFS Prize for Best Article
 


Dr. Jessica Boon, Associate Professor in Religious Studies, has won the 2019 Prize for Best Article of Feminist Scholarship on the Middle Ages from the Society for Feminist Medieval Scholarship. This prize is awarded every two years (in odd numbered years) and was “established in 2004 as a way for the Society for Feminist Medieval Scholarship to recognize outstanding scholarly contributions.” The prize includes a monetary award and will be officially presented at the International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University in May.

Professor Boon’s winning article, titled “At the Limits of (Trans)Gender: Jesus, Mary, and the Angels in the Visionary Sermons of Juana de la Cruz (1481–1534),” was published in the Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies in 2018 and explores the visionary sermons of Juana de la Cruz through the more precise analytical categories derived from contemporary approaches to gender. To read the article, click here.

Congratulations, Jes!

Posted in Faculty News, Faculty Publications on February 19, 2019. Bookmark the permalink.

The New Dr. Ali Jarrahi Term Professorship

The New Dr. Ali Jarrahi Term Professorship
 

The Department of Religious Studies is pleased to announce the creation of a new tenure-track faculty position in Islamic Studies, with a focus on Persian/Iranian studies, funded by the Dr. Ali Jarrahi Term Professorship. The Jarrahi family have been long-time supporters of Persian studies at UNC, and we are grateful for their generosity, which will help to bolster UNC’s existing strengths in the areas of Persian language and culture.

For more details on the new position, see the announcements here and here.

Posted in Faculty News, News & Events on February 4, 2019. Bookmark the permalink.

Carolina Stories Magazine Features Huqoq Mosaics and Professor Jodi Magness’ Annual Expedition

Carolina Stories Magazine Features Huqoq Mosaics and Professor Jodi Magness’ Annual Expedition
 

Professor Jodi Magness‘ annual summer expedition to Huqoq brings students together to uncover ancient mosaics depicting biblical scenes. This is the 111th story in the Carolina Stories Magazine, a Magazine published to highlight the achievements made possible through Carolina Giving.

Photo by Jim Haberman

“This is by far the most extensive series of biblical stories ever found decorating the mosaic floor of an ancient synagogue,” said Magness. “The arrangement of the mosaics in panels on the floor brings to mind the synagogue at Dura Europos in Syria, where an array of biblical stories is painted in panels on the walls.” – Read more in an earlier edition of the Carolina Stories Magazine

Update: The Mosaics, and the story behind them, have been featured on The National Geographic and Fox News. For the latest news coverage of the Huqoq mosaics please visit the Huqoq Excavation Project website.

Posted in Faculty News, Faculty Pubs & Profiles, Faculty Spotlight, News & Events on November 7, 2018. Bookmark the permalink.

Dr. Zlatko Pleše appointed Adjunct Professor at the University of Bern

Dr. Zlatko Pleše appointed Adjunct Professor at the University of Bern
 

The University of Bern, Switzerland has appointed Dr. Zlatko Pleše as an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of New Testament Studies. This is a three-year appointment, through August 31st, 2021. Dr. Pleše specializes in ancient philosophy and medicine, early Christianity, Hellenistic rhetoric and hermeneutics, and Coptic language, and he will be continuing this research with Prof. Rainer Hirsch-Luipold at the University of Bern.

 

Congratulations, Zlatko!

 

Posted in Faculty News, Faculty Pubs & Profiles, News & Events on October 8, 2018. Bookmark the permalink.

New forum on Divine Fatherhood on the Immanent Frame by Professor Juliane Hammer

New forum on Divine Fatherhood on the Immanent Frame by Professor Juliane Hammer
 

Dr. Juliane Hammer has co-convened a forum on Divine Fatherhood alongside scholars from varied disciplinary backgrounds, with a wide array of regional and religious expertise. The forum, Divine Fatherhood, is currently being hosted by the Social Science Research Council.

The forum reflects on what it means to treat fathers as God-like and what it means to treat God as father-like. Forum pieces will dive into the topic of unexpected linking of gods and fathers drawing from examples in feminist theory and practice, including the the erotics of divine fatherhood from purity balls to Beyoncé’s ambiguous “Daddy.”

To read the published pieces and find out more about the forum, visit SSRC’s The Immanent Frame website.

Congratulations, Juliane!

 

Posted in Faculty News, Faculty Pubs & Profiles, News & Events on September 7, 2018. Bookmark the permalink.

Recent Discoveries by Professor Jodi Magness’s Team at Huqoq

Recent Discoveries by Professor Jodi Magness’s Team at Huqoq
 

A team of specialists and students at Huqoq in Israel’s Galilee led by UNC Religious Studies Professor Jodi Magness have discovered unparalleled mosaics that shed new light on the life and culture of an ancient Jewish village.

From the UNC College of Arts and Sciences website:

The discoveries indicate villagers flourished under early fifth century Christian rule, contradicting a widespread view that Jewish settlement in the region declined during that period. The large size and elaborate interior decoration of the Huqoq synagogue point to an unexpected level of prosperity.

“The mosaics decorating the floor of the Huqoq synagogue revolutionize our understanding of Judaism in this period,” said Magness. “Ancient Jewish art is often thought to be aniconic, or lacking images. But these mosaics, colorful and filled with figured scenes, attest to a rich visual culture as well as to the dynamism and diversity of Judaism in the Late Roman and Byzantine periods.”

More images and coverage of the dig can be found at the Times of Israel, the News and Observer, and Hyperallergic.

Congratulations to Jodi and the team!

 

Posted in Faculty News, News & Events on July 17, 2018. Bookmark the permalink.

Lauren Leve Wins James Fisher Prize

Lauren Leve Wins James Fisher Prize
 

The Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies (ANHS) has announced that Lauren Leve, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Director of Graduate Studies, has won the first James Fisher Prize for First Books on the Himalayan Region for her book The Buddhist Art of Living in Nepal: Ethical Practice and Religious Reform (Routledge, 2016). 

In honor of the scholarly contributions of Dr. James Fisher to scholarship in the region, the Fisher Prize honors books which contribute an innovative and lucid written account of Himalayan studies research. Professor Leve shares the prize with Sarah Shneiderman, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia.

Professor Leve’s book chronicles how Theravada Buddhism has grown to have a significant presence in Nepal, especially among Newar communities of Kathmandu. The ANHS announcement includes the following statement: “Besides being a pleasure to read, the book’s significance lies in its ethnographic treatment of families adopting religious tenets which help them adjust to the contemporary changes of late modernity and neoliberal globalization.”

For the full prize announcement, see here.

Congratulations, Lauren!

Posted in Faculty News, Faculty Publications on April 4, 2018. Bookmark the permalink.

Lauren Leve at International Women’s Day Program

Lauren Leve at International Women’s Day Program
 

Last Sunday, March 11, Lauren Leve, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Director of Graduate Studies, was the keynote speaker at the International Women’s Day 2018 program for the North Carolina Nepali Community, organized by the Non-Resident Nepali Association National Coordination Council North Carolina Chapter and the Nepal Center of North Carolina. Prof. Leve spoke on “Gender-based Violence and Awareness in the Cultural Interface.” 

    

Posted in Faculty News, News & Events on March 16, 2018. Bookmark the permalink.