As religious diversity and immigration increasingly become part of the public conversation during this election year, the need for greater understanding of America’s religious landscape has become even more critical. To that end, the Pluralism Project at Harvard University announced today the launch of its newly redesigned website, www.pluralism.org.
Since 1991, the Pluralism Project has studied the religious implications of post-1965 immigration, taking a cities-based approach to examining the new questions posed for civic life as mosques, gurdwaras, and temples dot the landscape next to churches and synagogues. From this research, Project has produced numerous educational resources used by educators, students, journalists, civic leaders, business professionals, and religious communities. Founded and directed by Dr. Diana Eck, a professor of comparative religion at Harvard, the Pluralism Project has partnered with hundreds of student researchers, dozens of affiliated professors, and countless religious communities across the country over the course of its twenty-five year history.
“Voices that promote misunderstanding and exclusion are resurgent in America today, calling into question how we grapple with fundamental questions of our democracy. We all need to know much more about our neighbors of other faiths and ask ourselves what we mean when we say, ‘We the people?’,” says Eck, who first became interested in the changing religious landscape America thanks to the changing demographics of her own classroom. Early fieldwork from a seminar on World Religions in New England laid the groundwork for what would become the Pluralism Project. “Our team is pleased to be launching this rich educational site at this critical junction in our nation’s history.” The new pluralism.org features
- dozens of essays about the history and development of 17 traditions in the U.S.;
- more than 40 maps showcasing religious diversity and interfaith initiatives;
- over 35 promising practice profiles of city-based interfaith engagement;
- a repository of over 30,000 news pieces from domestic and international sources; and
- information about dilemma-based case studies for classroom and community use.
The redesign of the award-winning pluralism.org website was made possible by a grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. The launch coincides with Hofstra University’s naming of the Pluralism Project as co-recipient of the 2016 Guru Nanak Interfaith Prize and with the Pluralism Project’s 25th anniversary. An exhibit, “The Pluralism Project at Twenty Five,” is on display at Andover Harvard Theological Library (45 Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA) through September and is open to the public.
Contact: Dr. Diana Eck, staff@pluralism.org