August 9, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sarah Levine
404-727-3049;
The American Academy of Religion (AAR) has selected the 2013 recipients of the Awards for Excellence in the Study of Religion and the Best First Book in the History of Religions:
Award for Excellence in Religion: Analytical-Descriptive Studies
Anna Fedele, CRIA – Lisbon University Institute
Looking for Mary Magdalene: Alternative Pilgrimage and Ritual Creativity at Catholic Shrines in France
Oxford University Press, 2012.
Award for Excellence in Religion: Constructive-Reflective
Jeffrey L. Kosky, Washington and Lee University
Arts of Wonder: Enchanting Secularity - Walter De Maria, Diller + Scofidio, James Turrell, Andy Goldsworthy
University of Chicago Press, 2012.
Award for Excellence in Religion: Historical Studies
Christian K. Wedemeyer, University of Chicago Divinity School
Making Sense of Tantric Buddhism: History, Semiology, and Transgression in the Indian Traditions
Columbia University Press, 2012.
Award for Excellence in Religion: Textual Studies
Emily T. Hudson, Boston University
Disorienting Dharma: Ethics and the Aesthetics of Suffering in the Mahabharata
Oxford University Press, 2012.
Best First Book in the History of Religions
A. Azfar Moin, Southern Methodist University
The Millennial Sovereign: Sacred Kingship and Sainthood in Islam
Columbia University Press, 2012.
The Awards for Excellence and Best First Book in the History of Religions recognize new scholarly publications that make significant contributions to the study of religion. The awards honor books of distinctive originality, intelligence, creativity, and importance; books that affect decisively how religion is examined, understood, and interpreted. For more information, please visit http://www.aarweb.org/programs-services/book-awards. Awards will be presented at the AAR’s 2013 Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland on Sunday, November 24, 2013, 8:00–9:30 PM.
Founded in 1909, the American Academy of Religion is the world’s largest association of religion scholars. Its mission is to foster excellence in the study of religion by promoting research, publishing, and teaching about religion in academia. As a learned society and professional association of teachers and research scholars, the AAR has about 9,000 members who teach in some 900 colleges, universities, seminaries, and schools in North America and abroad. The Academy is dedicated to furthering knowledge of religion and religious institutions in all their forms and manifestations. This is accomplished through Academy-wide and regional conferences and meetings, publications, programs, and membership services.
###