New York University’s Center on Religion and Media will host “Body Counts/Bodies Count,” a May 3-4 conference that explores the role of the body in war, social change, religion, and other areas. All sessions will be held at NYU’s Kimmel Center for University Life, 9th Floor (60 Washington Sq. South at LaGuardia Place).
The conference is free and open to the public, which may call 212.998.7608 for more information.
The conference will include the following sessions: “Body Counts and Bioethics” (May 3, 2-5 p.m.); “Queer Yiddishkeit: A Jewish Genetic Travesty” (May 4, 9:30-12:30); and “Sexual Invective and Moral Politics” (May 4, 2-4 p.m.). Elizabeth Castelli, a professor of religion at Barnard College, will deliver the keynote address, “Making Bodies Count: Catholic Snapshots from a Time of War” (May 3, 6 p.m.).
In addition, two short films, “South of Ten” (Liza Johnson) and “Die grosse jiddische liebe” (Diane Nerwin), will be screened during the Wed., May 3 afternoon session and the Thurs., May 4 afternoon session, respectively. On Thurs., May 4, a performance of “Hero” by Nao Bustamante will be held at NYU’s Performance Studies Studio (721 Broadway, 6th floor), 5-7 p.m. The discussion will be led by José Esteban Muñoz, a professor of performance studies at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Subway Lines: A, B, C, D, E, F, V (West 4th Street); N, R, W (8th Street); 6 (Astor Place)]
EDITOR’S NOTE
The Center for Religion and Media at New York University is one of 10 Centers of Excellence funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, as part of an effort to stimulate innovative research and teaching in the interdisciplinary study of religion. The Center’s goal is to develop and broaden interdisciplinary and cross-cultural scholarship, pedagogy, and public knowledge of religion and media at New York University. While this project was conceived before September 11, that event and its aftermath have dramatized the need for understanding the spread of religious ideas and practices through a variety of media.