Hamilton, NY — Michael Sells, Emily Judson Baugh and John Marshall Gest Professor of comparative religions, Haverford College, will give a lecture titled ‘Shattered Society, Blasted Shrines: Interreligious Reconstruction as a Redevelopment Strategy in the Balkans’ at ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ on Monday, September 17 at 4:30 p.m. The lecture, sponsored by ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ’s Center for Ethics and World Societies, is free and open to the public and will take place in the Ho Lecture Room, Lawrence Hall.
Sells has taught at Haverford since 1984. His research interests include Bosnian culture and the role of religion and Kosovo mythology in genocide. In 1993, Sells helped found the Community of Bosnia Foundation, which seeks to combat all forms of racism and genocide. The organization works to support a multireligious Bosnia-Herzegovina, through support for: Bosnian students, the reconstruction of Bosnian culture and art, the publication of testimony by survivors of genocide, the work of the International Tribunals on War Crimes , and reform of Bosnian economic and political institutions. Sells has written several books, including The Bridge Betrayed: Religion and Genocide in Bosnia (University of California Press, 1996). Among his honors, Sells was the recipient of a 1997-1998 John Simon Guggenheim grant and a 2000 Fulbright grant.
Professor Sells’ talk is the first in a yearlong series of events planned by ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ’s Center for Ethics and World Societies. Entering its fourth year, the center devotes each academic year to the exploration of a single theme of great urgency in the international realm. This year’s theme is Development: Progress, Modernization, and Well-being. A calendar listing the center’s activities for the year can be obtained by visiting the ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ website (www.colgate.edu) and finding the center under ‘Academics,’ by writing to the center directly at ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY — 13346, or by phoning 315-228-7807.
¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ, founded in 1819, is located in Hamilton, New York. A highly selective, independent, liberal arts college with 256 faculty members and 2,750 undergraduate men and women enrolled in programs that lead to the bachelor of arts, ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ also offers a small graduate program. The university’s general education core curriculum embodies ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ’s longstanding commitment to integrated learning. The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) recently designated ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ as one of 16 Leadership Institutions that offer a national model for excellence in innovative education. Students currently enrolled at ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ hail from 44 different states, 3 U.S. territories and 26 countries. Log on to www.colgate.edu to learn more about ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ.