Published: March 18, 2022

Join the University Libraries and Department of Religious Studies for the 2022 Lester Lecture and reception on Thursday, April 14 in the Center for British and Irish Studies on the fifth floor of Norlin Library. The event will begin at 4 p.m. with a tour of the new CU Legends exhibit, “Becoming Less: The Journey of Robert Lester."

David Haberman

The Lester Lectureship is a prestigious venue for leading scholars to present original work addressing contemporary issues in the academic study of religion. David Haberman, a professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University will give the keynote presentation, “Religious Studies and Reimagining the Human in the Climate Crisis.”

“As a student of the religious cultures of India, I am interested in investigating the effects that current environmental degradation is having on the traditional religious culture which views the immanent world of nature as permeated with divine presence; I am also interested in learning how this traditional theology is being employed by Indian environmental activists to resist environmental degradation,” Haberman said in a statement.

Haberman specializes in the Hindu traditions of northern India and studies religion as a worldwide phenomenon and vital feature of human experience. He was also a student of Robert Lester — founder of the CU Boulder Department of Religious Studies and inspiration for the Lester Lecture series. Lester was a specialist in the religions of India who taught at the university for nearly 30 years.

The event will also honor the department’s 50th anniversary and Lester’s legacy through the exhibit “Becoming Less: The Journey of Robert Lester,” created by Andrew Violet, an alumnus of the department and graphic designer with the Libraries, and located on the third floor of Norlin Library on the northwest side near the Rare and Distinctive classroom.

The 2022 Lester Lecture is open to the public. All are welcome to attend.