Washburn University Thomas L. King Lecture in Religious Studies featuring Dr. Liz Bucar
Schedule
Thu, 27 Feb, 2025 at 07:00 pm
UTC-06:00Location
Washburn University - Bradbury Thompson Alumni Center | Topeka, KS
Advertisement
The Monsters Under Our Mats: Exploring the Ethical Implications of Yoga 🧘Join us for this free, public lecture where Dr. Liz Bucar, leading expert in religious ethics and professor of religion at Northeastern University, will discuss the ethics of yoga and her new book, "Stealing My Religion: Not Just Any Cultural Appropriation." Following the lecture there will be a dessert reception, sponsored by Interfaith of Topeka, and book signing! Attendees can purchase copies of her book at the event.
⏰ Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.
📍 Bradbury Thompson Alumni Center at Washburn University (1701 SW Jewell)
Bucar uses the framework of appropriation to unpack the ethics of yoga:
🧘 What does it mean to insist yoga is a spiritual but not religious practice?
🧘 Are we entitled to borrow any practice in the pursuit of our personal health?
🧘 What forms of structural injustice does the popularity of yoga depend on and reinforce?
A leading scholar of religious ethics, Bucar draws on her own experience becoming a certified Kripalu yoga instructor to explore the moral risks of intercultural borrowing. She argues that when we ignore the core religious beliefs of the faithful and commodify their practices, we risk further marginalizing minority groups and reinforcing social inequities.
✨ About Dr. Liz Bucar:
➡️ Liz Bucar is a leading expert in religious ethics, a professor of religion at Northeastern University and a prizewinning author. Her writing, teaching and public lectures cover a wide range of topics-from sexual reassignment surgery to the politics of religious clothing-but generally focus on how a deeper understanding of religious difference can change our sense of what is right and good. Bucar has written for The Atlantic, Teen Vogue, The Los Angeles Times and Religion News Service, among others, and her work has been discussed in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post and Instyle Magazine. She has written four books-including her most recent, “Stealing My Religion: Not Just Any Cultural Appropriation.” She is also the director of Sacred Writes, a grant-funded project that provides media training for religion scholars. Bucar received a degree in government from Harvard and a Ph.D. in religious ethics from the University of Chicago. She is a certified Kripalu yoga teacher and leads a popular study abroad program along the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
✨ About Washburn University's Thomas L. King Lecture in Religious Studies:
➡️ The Thomas L. King Lecture in Religious Studies, established in 1982 through a generous gift from the First Congregational Church in Topeka in memory of alumnus and Washburn benefactor Thomas L. King, now also receives support from contributions in memory of Rev. Dick Dickinson and Dr. Barry Crawford. This lecture series significantly enhances Washburn’s religious studies program by offering a platform each spring semester for students, faculty and community members to engage with the works of eminent scholars in the field. Beyond the formal public lecture, speakers often arrange informal meetings with undergraduate classes, further enriching the educational experience. The Thomas L. King Lecture in Religious Studies is always free and open to the public.
Advertisement
Where is it happening?
Washburn University - Bradbury Thompson Alumni Center, 1701 SW Jewell Ave, Topeka, KS 66604, United States,Topeka, KansasEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
