Contemporary painting done as a triptych re-imagining traditional iconography to show contemporary issues,

Iconographies of Catastrophe and Lament

Hurricane María and the discussions that followed it prompted reflections on images and meanings of “apocalypse” in times of ecological crisis. By Mayra Rivera

Autumn/Winter 2024

Featured

Photo of street art in Asilah, Phillipines.

Between the Lines

Recent interventions within the field of Islamic studies require a shift in focus to the lives and practices of Muslims, without eschewing attention to texts. By Hussein Rashid And Huma Mohibullah

Photo of African landscape, with a road winding through the plain.

Rethinking ‘Tribalism’

Learning from Indigenous ways of knowing and being might help all sides of the political spectrum to become less polarized and rancorous. By Devaka Premawardhana

Detail of watercolor painting showing two figures holding each other, flying away from danger

On Assignment, Virgil Rescues Dante from the Wilderness

A Divine Comedy reading group with two artist friends deepens the author’s understanding of Dante’s transcendent friendship with Virgil. By Diane Mehta

Dialogue

The Racialization of Religious Excitement in American Psychiatry

Historically, white psychiatrists produced theories of religion that became constitutive elements of their racialized understandings of the normal and disordered mind. By Judith Weisenfeld

Illustration of man holding hands over face. His image is part of shattering stained glass.
Photo of solitary man sitting in a church pew, looking down, with a glowing cross above him

Symposium Introductions

Black Religion and Mental Health

By Ahmad Greene-Hayes

How Can Black Religious Spaces Enhance Mental Health Outcomes?

By Marla F. Frederick

Exploring Structures of Care

By George Aumoithe

 

Photo of woman leading a neighborhood yoga group

Why Rosa Parks Did Yoga

Inspiring stories of collective self-care are evident in the life writings of Black women, including Rosa Parks. By Stephanie Y. Evans

Illustration of mother protectively holding her daughter.

Converging Crises

In New York City, homelessness, immigration, and racism are converging to the point of a crisis. By Henry Love

Black and white photo of African American woman in church, hands slightly raised, with a cross displayed on the wall in front of her.

Black Religion as Barrier and Balm

Black religious communities should be places of spiritual liberation for those who live with mental health challenges. By Monica A. Coleman

African American woman holding a fussy infant

Nurturing Black Maternal Health

There’s plenty of data on Black maternal mental health and obstetric racism but we are not providing the culturally responsive care that is needed. By Sevonna Brown

In Review

Illustration of a person being pushed in a wheelchair, flying a kite with words of hope on it.

Books

Honoring Lives Ravaged by Addiction

Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead and Donovan X. Ramsey’s When Crack Was King: A People’s History of a Misunderstood Era offer powerful narratives in the context of communities beset by addiction epidemics. By Mara Willard

Professor Clooney in his office, surrounded by books and art

Books

‘A Pedagogy of Coming to See’

A Q&A with Francis X. Clooney, S.J., about his memoir Hindu and Catholic, Priest and Scholar: A Love Story. By Wendy McDowell

Portrait of Reinhold Niebuhr

Shelf Life

The Children at 80

Reinhold Niebuhr’s The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness: A Vindication of Democracy and a Critique of Its Traditional Defense offers a still relevant perspective on the idealistic and cynical tendencies in US democracy. By Bradley Shingleton

Collage of book covers

Syllabus

Knowing Animals: Buddhist and Posthuman Resources for a New Interspecies Ethics

A selected reading list from Janet Gyatso’s course.

Poetry

Veterinarians

By A. R. Zarif

Dusk Elegy with Myrtle

By Joshua Gregory

Perspective

Autumn Winter 2024 issue cover

When Only Poetry Will Do

What strikes me about this issue of the Bulletin is that it is a ringing endorsement of the humanities. Our authors come from many different disciplines: Black women’s studies, history, anthropology, psychology, Islamic studies, theology, ethics and politics. By Wendy McDowell

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