Diana L. Eck
Encyclopedia
Diana L. Eck is Professor of Comparative Religion
and Indian Studies, as well as a Master of Lowell House
and the Director of The Pluralism Project, at Harvard University
. Among other works, she is the author of "Banaras, City of Light," "Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India," "Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras," and A New Religious America: How a "Christian Country" Became the World's Most Religiously Diverse Nation. At Harvard, she is in the Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, the Committee on the Study of Religion, and is also a member of the Faculty of Divinity. She has been reappointed the chair for the Committee on the Study of Religion, a position which she held from 1990 to 1998. Eck is a Methodist and is married to the Reverend Dorothy Austin.
in 1967, and her M.A. in South Asian History from The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
in 1968. In 1976 she received her Ph.D. from Harvard University
in the Comparative Study of Religion.
Eck became interested in other religions, and Hinduism in particular, when she went to India at age 20 with the University of Wisconsin College Year in India program and studied at Banaras Hindu University. Since then, she has held many research fellowships for study and research in India.
Since 1991, Diana Eck has also turned her attention to the United States and has been heading a research team at Harvard University to explore the new religious diversity of the United States and its meaning for the American pluralist experiment. The Pluralism Project has developed an affiliation with many other colleges and universities across the country and around the world. In 1994, Diana Eck and the Pluralism Project published "World Religions in Boston, A Guide to Communities and Resources" which introduces the many religious traditions and communities in Boston
, Massachusetts
- from Native Americans
, Christians, Jews
, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains
, to Zoroastrians. In 1997, Diana Eck and the Pluralism Project published an educational multimedia CD Rom, "On Common Ground: World Religions in America" (Columbia University Press). This CD Rom received awards from Media & Methods, EdPress, and Educom.
In 2001, her book A New Religious America was published. It deals with the new religious diversity in the United States.
, one of the twelve undergraduate residences at Harvard.
in Religion.
In 1996, Prof. Eck was appointed to a U.S. State Department Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad, a twenty-member commission charged with advising the Secretary of State on enhancing and protecting religious freedom in the overall context of human rights.
In 1998, President William J. Clinton and the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded her for her work on American religious pluralism.
In 2002, Diana Eck received the Martin Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion from the American Academy of Religion
In 2003, Diana Eck received the Montana Humanities Award from the Governor of Montana
In 2007, Professor Eck was made a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts of America
Comparative religion
Comparative religion is a field of religious studies that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes, myths, rituals and concepts among the world's religions...
and Indian Studies, as well as a Master of Lowell House
Lowell House
Lowell House is one of the twelve undergraduate residential houses within Harvard College, located on Holyoke Place facing Mount Auburn Street between the Harvard Yard and the Charles River...
and the Director of The Pluralism Project, at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Among other works, she is the author of "Banaras, City of Light," "Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India," "Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras," and A New Religious America: How a "Christian Country" Became the World's Most Religiously Diverse Nation. At Harvard, she is in the Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, the Committee on the Study of Religion, and is also a member of the Faculty of Divinity. She has been reappointed the chair for the Committee on the Study of Religion, a position which she held from 1990 to 1998. Eck is a Methodist and is married to the Reverend Dorothy Austin.
Interest in other religions
Eck received her B.A. in Religious Studies from Smith CollegeSmith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
in 1967, and her M.A. in South Asian History from The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
in 1968. In 1976 she received her Ph.D. from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in the Comparative Study of Religion.
Eck became interested in other religions, and Hinduism in particular, when she went to India at age 20 with the University of Wisconsin College Year in India program and studied at Banaras Hindu University. Since then, she has held many research fellowships for study and research in India.
Since 1991, Diana Eck has also turned her attention to the United States and has been heading a research team at Harvard University to explore the new religious diversity of the United States and its meaning for the American pluralist experiment. The Pluralism Project has developed an affiliation with many other colleges and universities across the country and around the world. In 1994, Diana Eck and the Pluralism Project published "World Religions in Boston, A Guide to Communities and Resources" which introduces the many religious traditions and communities in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
- from Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, Christians, Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
, to Zoroastrians. In 1997, Diana Eck and the Pluralism Project published an educational multimedia CD Rom, "On Common Ground: World Religions in America" (Columbia University Press). This CD Rom received awards from Media & Methods, EdPress, and Educom.
In 2001, her book A New Religious America was published. It deals with the new religious diversity in the United States.
First LGBT Master at Harvard
In 1998, Eck and Dorothy Austin became the first same-sex couple to be masters of Lowell HouseLowell House
Lowell House is one of the twelve undergraduate residential houses within Harvard College, located on Holyoke Place facing Mount Auburn Street between the Harvard Yard and the Charles River...
, one of the twelve undergraduate residences at Harvard.
Awards
1995 Eck was the recipient of the Louisville Grawemeyer AwardGrawemeyer Award
The Grawemeyer Awards are five awards given annually by the University of Louisville in the state of Kentucky, United States. The prizes are presented to individuals in the fields of education, ideas improving world order, music composition, religion, and psychology...
in Religion.
In 1996, Prof. Eck was appointed to a U.S. State Department Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad, a twenty-member commission charged with advising the Secretary of State on enhancing and protecting religious freedom in the overall context of human rights.
In 1998, President William J. Clinton and the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded her for her work on American religious pluralism.
In 2002, Diana Eck received the Martin Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion from the American Academy of Religion
In 2003, Diana Eck received the Montana Humanities Award from the Governor of Montana
In 2007, Professor Eck was made a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts of America
Writings
- J. Krishnamurti: The Pathless Way (1968). International Center for Integrative Studies, 14 pages.
- Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India (1981). Columbia University Press 1998 paperback: ISBN 0-231-11265-3.
- Banaras, City of Light (1982). Columbia University Press 1998 paperback: ISBN 0-231-11447-8.
- Speaking of Faith: Global Perspectives on Women, Religion, and Social Change (written with Devaki Jain) (1987).
- The Manyness of God (1987). St. Lawrence University, 16 p.
- Devotion Divine: Bhakti Traditions from the Regions of India, essays to honor French Indologist Charlotte Vaudeville (edited with Francoise Mallison) (1991). John Benjamins Pub. Co., ISBN 90-6980-045-4.
- Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras (1993). Beacon Press, 2nd edition 2003: ISBN 0-8070-7301-6. Won the Unitarian Universalist Melcher Award (1994) and the Grawemeyer Book Award (1995).
- On Common Ground: World Religions In America (1997). Columbia Univ Press. multimedia presentation on CD ROM 2nd edition (2001): ISBN 0-231-12664-6.
- New Religious America: How A "Christian Country" Has Become The World's Most Religiously Diverse Nation (2001). HarperSanFrancisco, 2002 paperback: ISBN 0-06-062159-1.