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UF hosts inaugural religion, nature and culture conference

March 31, 2006

Who: The University of Florida and the International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture.

What: The society’s inaugural conference, “Exploring Religion, Nature and Culture,” will include keynote and plenary speakers Carolyn Merchant, Stephen Kellert and Mark Bekoff, as well as more than 140 international scholars presenting their work. UF students and faculty, and members of the Gainesville community are welcome to attend the conference, most of which will be free.

The public may attend the Thursday evening lecture and documentary film, and all of the daytime presentations Friday through Sunday. Registration is required, however, for lunches on Friday and Saturday and for the banquets and keynote speeches on Friday and Saturday evenings.

When: April 6-9, 2006.

Where: University of Florida Hilton Hotel and other UF venues

Background: Since the early 1990s, scholars have discussed the formation of a scholarly society to facilitate inquiry into the relationships among human beings and their diverse cultures, environments, religious beliefs and practices, reflecting a desire for regular, interdisciplinary communication, discussion, and research. Faculty and students in UF’s Graduate Program in Religion and Nature decided in early 2005 to bring this vision into reality, subsequently holding planning meetings and issuing a broad interdisciplinary invitation to participate in the invention of such a society. This conference is the first major manifestation of this effort.

Contacts: Additional information can be found on the International Society for the study of Religion, Nature and Culture Web site, http://www.religionandnature.com/society/. General questions can be sent to Luke Johnston, the executive director of the society, at (352) 514-7500 and lucasjohnston1@hotmail.com or to Bron Taylor, director of the UF graduate program in religion and nature and the society’s founding president, at (352) 514-8364 and brontaylor@religionandnature.com.