Conference on the study of contemporary spirituality next week at University of Haifa
The 2nd Conference on the Study of Contemporary Spirituality will take place at the University of Haifa on Monday, 8 March, 2010. The conference will host an astounding 32 sessions and dozens of lectures presenting studies that encompass the field of contemporary spiritualism in Israel and around the world. "This is a wide phenomenon that touches many audiences and comprises a variety of areas. As such, the academic world and its various disciplines have found it worthy of attention and research," says Marianna Ruah-Midbar of the Department of Education at the University of Haifa, who is heading the conference's organizing committee alongside Prof. Ofra Mayseless.
"More and more scholars have become aware that spirituality is an academically researchable topic within the existing disciplines, and therefore there is no reason to prevent this research. Most of all, we see that there is much curiosity regarding insights that can be attained from these studies," Prof. Mayseless said.
Topics that will be discussed include: Hasidism and neo-Hasidism; spirituality and physical health; Internet, spirituality and religion; spirituality and law; spirituality and economy; feminine spirituality in the Jewish world; Buddhism and psychology; ecology and spirituality; and more.
Most sessions will be held in Hebrew.
English sessions include:
- Experiential exploration in Jewish-Buddhist meditation - Rabbi James Moshe Jacobson-Maisels (University of Chicago; Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies)
- Spirituality: A Bahá'í Perspective - Dr. Vahid Ra'fati (Bah'ai World Center, Haifa)
- Scientologists and Satanists, Rabbis and Raelians - Prof. James Lewis (University of Tromsø, Norway)
- Silence, fear and attachments - East-West study in organizational context - Mr. Jain Rajesh (New Delhi University)
Provided by University of Haifa