Religious Studies:

Funded Projects involving Religious Studies Faculty

During the past several years faculty in the Department of Religious Studies have assembled a strong record of securing funding for various sorts of research and service projects. A large number of these are collaborative, transdisplinary endeavors and demonstrate the quick and successful augmentation of the research approach of the faculty. The Department has thereby been able to complement its strong record in the area of more traditional individual scholar-projects in the Humanities by also being successful in newer models of research characteristic of the New American University as envisioned by President Michael Crow. Support has come from both external and internal sources, with the latter predicated upon the timely submission of proposals to external funders.

Below is a list of these grants. There also appears a list of more traditional, single funded projects and scholarships secured by students. Finally, though not itemized here, a good number of grant and fellowship proposals have been submitted that were not successful but that will be resubmitted.

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Tisa Wenger, Assistant Professor, has received a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipend for 2006, supported in part through the NEH “We the People” initiative. This award will support the final stages of writing on Dr. Wenger’s forthcoming book, “The Pueblo Indian Dance Controversy and the Cultural Invention of Religion in America,” which is under contract with the University of North Carolina Press.

Collaborative Projects

1. ASU-University of Sarajevo “Religious Studies in a Global University Curriculum,” Grant from Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State.

A three year project to introduce the academic study of religion at the University of Sarajevo and that forges relationships between our institutions. Stephen Batalden, Director REESC PI; Project Personnel, Joel Gereboff, Chair RS, Linell Cady, Director Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict (CSRC), Prof RS.

2. “ASU-Indonesian Institutions Conflict Resolution Exchange Project” US State Dept.
Peter Suwarno, Assoc Prof. Indonesian, PI, Project Personnel, Linell Cady, Mark Woodward, Assoc. Prof, RS.

3. “Through the Prism of Race and Ethnicity: Re-imagining and Reconceptualizing the Religious History of the American West,” IHR Seed Grant to develop research projects on this topic through hosting a national conference. Moses Moore, Assoc Prof of Religious Studies, Tisa Wenger, Assoc Prof. RS, Co-PIs, and participants include additional faculty from RS and other units.

4. “Current Transformations of Islamic Education in Global and Comparative Perspectives,” IHR seed grant. To study trends and impact of educational institutions in Political, Cultural and Social Developments in Islamic Countries. Muhammad Umar, Assoc Prof RS, PI, Participants include Mark Woodward, David Damrel, Asst Prof RS, Agnes Kefeli-Clay, Lecturer RS, Mirna Lattouf, Faculty Assoc. RS and colleagues in DLL.

5. “Comparative Colonialisms: Conversion and Religious Globalization,” IHR
Grant for Faculty Discussion Group. Brings together faculty to explore this topic and to develop larger grant proposals and articulate a doctoral track for RS program. Eugene Clay, Assoc Prof, RS, Alexander Henn, Assoc Prof RS, SGS Co-PIs, Participants include numerous RS faculty and others from across campus.

6. “Sri Lankan Buddhist Manuscript Project”, this effort has lead to the donation to ASU of the largest collection outside of Sri Lanka of Sri Lankan Palm Leaf Mss. A joint effort of Center for Asian Studies, ASU Libraries, and faculty in Religious Studies, Juliane Schober, Assoc Prof of RS, Joel Gereboff, Chair. <more>

7. “Christianity and Conversion: A Research Conference,” funded by Division of Graduate Studies, ASU. Eugene Clay, Assoc. Professor Religious Studies and Dir. of Graduate Studies, PI

8. “Religion and Conflict in Asia: Disrupting Violence”, Joint Project between CSRC, the National Bureau of Asian Research, and the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies ( Singapore). Jointly funded by CSRC, National Bureau of Asian Research and the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies ( Singapore) and has produced a published volume of essays. Co-PIs/Project Directors: Linell Cady, Dir CSRC and Sheldon Simon, Prof Political Science, Co –PIs. Project personnel included Mark Woodward, Juliane Schober.

9. “After Secularization: Religion, Conflict and the Nation State in a Changing World,”
CSRC Working Group: Linell Cady, Dir CSRC and George Thomas, Prof of SGS, Co-PIs Participants include Mark Woodward, Assoc Prof RS, Muhammad Umar RS and other colleagues from across campus.

10. “Research Collaborative on Religion and Intergroup Conflict/Intergroup Peace,” CSRC Working Group Steven Neuberg, Prof. Psychology, PI, Participants include, Juliane Schober and Joel Gereboff, RS, and colleagues from other units.

11. ”Being Human: Science, Religion, Technology and Law,” CSRC Working Group.
Hava Tirosh Samuelson, PI, Prof History and Affiliated Faculty RS, Participants include, Eugene Clay, Linell Cady and Joel Gereboff, RS and numerous ASU colleagues.

12. “ Democratization in the Middle East, CSRC Working Group.
Miriam Elman, Assoc Prof. Political Science and Madelaine Adelman, Assoc Prof, Justice and Social Inquiry Co PIs. Participants include, Mark Woodward, Assoc Prof RS, Abdullahi Gallab, Visiting Assoc Prof RS, AAAS and colleagues from several other units.

13. “Religion in the Public Life of India : Alternatives to Secularism and Communalism,” CSRC Seed Grant. Anne Feldhaus Foundation Prof. RS ASU and Raja Vora, Prof. Politics and Public Administration, University of Pune, Co PIs.

14. “City Life: Experiencing the World of Teotichuacan” IHR Seed grant.
Participants, Miguel Aguilera, Asst Prof. Religious Studies and colleagues in other units.

15. “Migration,” IHR Research Cluster.
Tod Swanson, Assoc Prof. Religious, Dir of Center for Latin American Studies and Brian Gratton, Assoc Prof, History, Co-PIs.

16 “Building an Academic Destination: The ASU Repository of Palm Leaf Manuscripts from Sri Lanka,” IHR Seed Grant. Juliane Schober, Assoc Prof RS and Claudia Brown, Prof of Art History, Dir of Center for Asian Studies, co-PIs.

17 “Catholics in the Movies,” American Academy of Religion Collaborative Research Grant.
Colleen McDannell, Prof History, Univ. of Utah, PI, Tracy Fessenden, Assoc. Prof. ASU is one of a member of the research team.

18. “’Been in the Storm So Long’” Yale Divinity School and the Black ministry—One Hundred and Fifty Years of Black Theological Education,” Louisville Seminary.
Moses Moore, Assoc Prof. RS ASU, Yolanda Smith, Yale Divinity School.

Individually Funded Projects

Anne Feldhaus — "Oral Literature of Pilgrimage," American Institute of Indian Studies Senior Research Fellowship, "Preserving Marathi Manuscripts a nd Making Them Accessible ." Pilot project from the Endangered Archives Program of the British Library.

Muhammad Umar -- Fellow UCLA Global Fellows Project (2002-03).

Consultant for Project on Web-accessible catalog of Arabic Manuscripts at Africana Library of Northwestern University Evanston, IL (Summer 2005), Funded by Andrew Mellon Foundation.

Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin (Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin ), Fellow (2006-07)

Fulbright Scholars

The following students have received Fulbright Fellowships to Pursue Graduate Studies in Religious Studies as ASU:

Mr. Umar Umar. MA Student Indonesia
Mr. Michael Lendo. MA Student, Indonesia
Ms. Innayah Rahmaniyeh, MA Student, Indonesia.
Mr. Abdoulaye Sounaye, MA, PhD Student, Niger

The Following ASU Students have received Fulbright Awards

Mr. Eric Lind, BA RS, Philosophy, Recipient of CLAS Award for Outstanding Graduate, Fulbright for post BA Study in Capetown South Africa.

Mr. Ben Coats, MA Student, RS, Fulbright support for research in Kosovo.