Professor Diana L. Eck Narrates Journey of Religious Women Activists

May 5, 2005

Source: The Harvard Crimson

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2005/5/5/religion-prof-narrates-faith-people-of/

On May 5, 2005 The Harvard Crimson reported, "people of faith are often challenged to reconcile religious traditionalism with a desire for progressive action and modernism: Catholics who disagree with the encyclicals of the pope or Muslims who reject fundamentalist action are currently among the more prominent examples. To this end, at the opening of 'Acting on Faith: Women and the New Religious Activism in America,' the voice of Pluralism Project Director Dr. Diana Eck�who is also a Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies, Frederic Wertham Professor of Law and Psychiatry in Society and co-master of Lowell House�gives the audience the reassuring mantra, 'No one should have to choose between multiple and vital identities.'

During an April 26 screening, the film’s viewers, spanning a broad spectrum of races, religions, and social agendas, were encouraged to embrace all of their identities in watching the Pluralism Project’s new documentary, 'Acting on Faith,' directed by Rachel Antell, who received her MTS from Harvard Divinity School in 1992.

The event featured a screening of the 42-minute long documentary, as well as a question and answer session with Eck, Antell, and the three women featured in the film: Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, a Muslim, Dr. Shamita Das Dasgupta, a Hindu, and Mushim Ikeda-Nash, a Buddhist."