Places are still available for Inform’s June seminar, which will take place via Zoom on Thursday 24th June, from 5.30 to 7.30pm BST.
The seminar will explore the term ‘cult’, reflecting on the history of its usage, how it is currently used in different contexts, and the implications this has for contemporary society. Presenters will contextualise their specific context by reflecting on this term through their own experiences and research. The seminar will be multi-disciplinary with a view to capturing a wider snapshot of the usage of the term, informing the academy with suggestions of how we might move forward.
Guest hosts will be Edward Graham-Hyde and Aled Thomas, and speakers will include:
Rod Dubrow-Marshall, PhD, MBPsS
Title TBC
Erin Prophet, Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Florida, Department of Religion -
“Rhetoric and Stigma: Lessons from the ‘Cult Wars'”
J. Gordon Melton, Distinguished Professor of American Religious History, Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University - “Christians, Californians and Communists — Inadequacies in Using the C-word in Describing Religions.”
Philip Deslippe, PhD Candidate, Department of Religious Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara -
“Uses and Applications of the Word “Cult” in American Newspapers in the 1990s.”
Moojan Momen, Independent Scholar -
“Sect, cult or world religion: positioning the Baha’i Faith.”
Respondent: Catherine Wessinger, Rev. H. James Yamauchi, S.J. Professor of the History of Religions, Loyola University, New Orleans.
We hope to see you there! You can register your attendance by making a voluntary donation to Inform, though the Seminars page of our website: https://inform.ac/seminars . If you cannot make a donation at this time, but would still like to attend, please email inform@kcl.ac.uk directly.
Please make sure that you share your contact details so that we can send you a link to the Zoom meeting.
Best wishes,
The Inform Team