Dr. Gary Laderman is Goodrich C. White professor and chair of the religion department at Emory University. He became a Pluralism Project affiliate in 1998, researching the changing religious landscape of Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Laderman’s research project focused on two particular dimensions. First, he and his research team began by gathering basic information about Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim communities in metropolitan Atlanta. Because there was quite a bit of existing information about Atlanta’s Christian and Jewish communities, the initial goal was to map these three rapidly growing traditions so that Atlanta’s complex, diversified religious landscape was brought more fully into view.

Second, researchers explored the ways in which these newer religious traditions were adapting to, as well as shaping, American funeral rituals. This dimension of the research project was more ethnographic, and brought into sharp focus a variety of issues related to multiculturalism, cultural accommodation, and negotiating religious practices.

Research included interviewing community members and leaders, photographing religious sites, and gathering published materials. In addition to Dr. Laderman, many people contributed to this project, including Dr. Paul Courtright, Lisa Crothers, Kevin Jacques, Jennifer Saunders, Katy Shrout, and Josh Phillipson.

Selected Links and Publications

• Faculty webpage: Dr. Gary M. Laderman
• Book: The Sacred Remains: American Attitudes Toward Death, 1799-1883 (New Haven: Yale University Press), 1999.
• Book: Rest in Peace: A Cultural History of Death and the Funeral Home in Twentieth-Century America (Oxford University Press), 2005.
• Book: Religion and American Cultures: Tradition, Diversity, and Popular Expression (2^nd edition) (ABC-CLIO), 2014.
• Book: Religions of Atlanta: Religious Diversity in the Centennial Olympic City. (Atlanta: Scholars Press), 1996.
• Center Profiles
  • Al-Farooq Masjid of Atlanta (2004)
  • Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam (2006)
  • Atlanta Soto Zen Center (2006)
  • First India Baptist Church (2004)
  • Georgia Buddhist Vihara (2006)
  • Greater Atlanta Vedic Temple Society, Inc. (2006)
  • Hindu Temple of Atlanta, Inc. (Balaji Temple) (2004)
  • Shambhala Meditation Center of Atlanta (2005)
  • Sundarkand Katha Mandali (2004)