ARS membership as of the November report from AAA stood at 473, up from 378 in November 1999, and 110 in November 1998.   According to Association statistics, this makes us the fastest growing topical section in the AAA.

The ARS 2000 spring meeting was held during April in Tampa, jointly with the American Ethnological  Society.  Highlights of the meeting included 1) the first Roy A. Rappaport Distinguished Lecture in the Anthropology of Religion, delivered by Talal Asad; 2) the Presidential Roundtable on Religion, Globalization, and Global Culture with presentations by Thomas J. Csordas, Talal Asad, Jonathan Friedman, Roland Robertson, Peter van der Veer, and Peter Pels; and 3) a workshop on Teaching Anthropology of Religion led by ARS Secretary/Treasurer Andrew Buckser.

In the spring elections, the membership adopted permanent bylaws.  Janice Boddy was chosen as President-Elect, and Stephen Glazier as Secretary.  Elected to the Executive Committee were Jill Dubisch, Laurel Kendall, Bruce Knauft, and student member Omri Elisha. Simon Coleman was appointed to replace Andrew Buckser as section column editor for AN.

At the Annual Meetings of the AAA in San Francisco, the section's sessions were as follows:

2 INVITED SESSIONS
    1.  The Politics of Religion Revitalization, Shamans, and Academics
    2.  Gender Transformations in Religious Contexts

2 SPONSORED SESSIONS
    1.  From Ancient Mesoamerica to Zapatistas Telling Religion 'Tales' in Honor of Gary H. Gossen (double session)
    2.  Contesting and Constructing Islamic Identities in the "Periphery" (double session)

3 SESSIONS COMPRISED OF INDIVIDUALLY SUBMITTED PAPERS
    1.  The Religious Marketplace
    2.  Ritual, Authority, and Religious Authenticity
    3.  Relgious Conventions and Conversions

The AAA Executive Board granted the section's request to repeal the policy forbidding new sections to use the words "Society" or "Association" in their names. A bylaw amendment will appear on the 2001 ballot changing the section name to "Society for the Anthropology of Religion."

At its November meeting, the ARS Executive Committee voted unanimously to pursue negotiations with Palgrave to inaugurate a section sponsored book series in the anthropology of religion.  The negotiating committee is composed of Thomas Csordas, Janice Boddy, Jill Dubisch, and Laurel Kendall.

We also initiated planning for the 2002 spring meeting on the theme of dialogue between Anthropology and Religious Studies.  We are discussing co-sponsorship with a newly formed group interested in anthropology within the American Academy of Religion.  The conference will provide a rare opportunity for concerted interaction between scholars in the two disciplines, given that AAA and AAR almost invariably hold their major annual meetings at the same time.  The organizing committee is composed of Thomas Csordas, Janice Boddy, and Stephen Glazier.
 

Anthropology of Religion Section Officers 2000-01
 

Thomas J. Csordas, President	txc9@po.cwru.edu
Janice Boddy, President-Elect	boddy@scar.utoronto.ca
Steven Glazier, Secretary	SGlaz1234@aol.com
Andrew Buckser, Treasurer	bucksera@sri.soc.purdue.edu

Executive Committee 2000-01
 

Jill Dubisch	jill.dubisch@nau.edu
Laurel Kendall	lkendall@amnh.org
Peter Metcalf	SGlaz1234@aol.com
Lesley Sharp	Lsharp@Barnard.edu
Edith Turner	elt9w@virginia.edu
Tanya Luhrmann	tluhrman@midway.uchicago.edu
Bruce Knauft	knauft@learnlink.emory.edu
Omri Elisha (student member)	oe200@is6.nyu.edu

 
 

Simon Coleman,  Editor for AN column	s.m.coleman@durham.ac.uk
Deborah Shepherd, Web Site Coordinator	sheph005@tc.umn.edu
Sarah Caldwell,  Listserv Coordinator	scaldwell@csuchico.edu

 

AAA Program Committee 2000

Laurel Kendall	lkendall@amnh.org
Lesley Sharp	Lsharp@Barnard.edu
Tanya Luhrmann	tluhrman@midway.uchicago.edu

 

Book Series Development Committee

Thomas J. Csordas	txc9@po.cwru.edu
Janice Boddy, President-Elect	boddy@scar.utoronto.ca
Laurel Kendall	lkendall@amnh.org
Jill Dubisch	jill.dubisch@nau.edu

 

Program/Organizing Committee for 2002 Spring Meetings

Thomas J. Csordas, President	txc9@po.cwru.edu
Janice Boddy, President-Elect	boddy@scar.utoronto.ca
Steven Glazier, Secretary	SGlaz1234@aol.com

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Last Update: 5 September 2001