Transnational Charisma and Traveling Spirits: How Religion Moves across a Global Landscape

Seminar sponsored by the Center for Religion and Civic Culture and the College Commons, using a format of prep-circulated papers and discussion. 
Organized by Janet Hoskins (Anthropology) and Macarena Gomez-Barris (American Studies and Sociology)

Charisma is a supernatural gift of power that can be exercised to dominate in many ordinary and pragmatic ways, and as a characteristic of religious movements, it is highly mobile. The seminar focuses on experiential or charismatic religion (usually associated with an intense contact with “spirit” or “spirits”) and its relation to migration, transnational commerce and trans-local politics in both contemporary and historical contexts.  The mobility of spirits and people transforms notions of landscape, place and  belonging,  as well as the relation of religion to  international markets, and humanitarian concerns with social welfare, human rights and health.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Latin American Transnational Religion

Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Asian Religions in Transnational Perspective

Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Transnational Islam and Nationalism

Tuesday, January 19, 2009
Transnational Charisma and Traveling Spirits

Tuesday, February 16, 2009
Transnational Charisma and Traveling Spirits

Tuesday, March 23, 2009
Transnational Charisma and Traveling Spirits


All interested faculty and graduate students are invited to participate by signing up for the email list and sending in an RSVP for the sessions, held at University Club on Tuesday from 12-2.

Graduate students who present a paper in the spring semester may receive $1000 for conference travel and graduate credit.  Paper proposals should be sent to Janet Hoskins (jhoskins@usc.edu) and Macarena Gomez-Barris (gomezbar@usc.edu).

We expect to get additional USC participants (graduate students or faculty members) for the spring sessions as we announce this program this month.