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Author: Michael Altman

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About Michael Altman
Michael J. Altman is Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies. Dr. Altman's areas of interest are American religious history, theory and method in the study of religion, the history of comparative religion, and Asian religions in American culture. Overall, his research sits at the crossroads of American religious history and religious studies, using the theoretical insights of religious studies to dig deeper into what we mean by "religion" in religious history. His current research examines cultural constructions of Hinduism in 19th-century America.

Posts by Michael Altman

Join Us for the 2016 Aronov Lecture Tomorrow at 7pm: “Democracy in Black — The Value Gap”

Our annual Aronov Lecture will be held tomorrow night at 7pm in Lloyd Hall room 38. We are very pleased to welcome Eddie S. Glaude from Princeton University. His lecture is titled “Democracy in Black — The Value Gap.” You can find out more about Prof. Glaude’s work in this recent Salon interview about his newest book, Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul. And be sure to follow the conversation, comments, questions, and live-tweeting of the Aronov lecture […]

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Check Out All of Our Class Blogs

Did you notice the new tab on the menu at the top of our blog? That one up there that says “Class Blogs?” Well, many of our classes in REL use blogs so students can use their critical thinking skills in public. That new “Class Blogs” tab takes you to page where you can find all of our class blogs from this year’s REL 490 course to an Honors History of Religions in America course in Spring 2014. Check out […]

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The Long Argument Over Religious Freedom

One of the major themes in my REL 241: American Religious History course this semester has been “religious liberty.” What our class has seen over and over again is that religious freedom isn’t really about religion or freedom. More often, arguments over “religious liberty,” “religious freedom,” or “freedom of conscience” are really arguments about governance, structures, and the individual. […]

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You Ain’t No Conservative, Bruv

Did you see the video of the man arrested after he attacked people in a London subway with a knife? “You ain’t no Muslim, bruv!” declared an onlooker. Or, did you hear how Paul Ryan responded to Donald Trump’s call to ban Muslims from entering the United States? “This is not conservatism,” he said into the cameras. I think Amber Phillips is right in her analysis of these two statements in her blog post at The Washington Post. These moments of […]

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How Not to Be a Senior Scholar

I remember almost two years ago when American historian Edmund Morgan died. I had read Morgan’s Visible Saints as part of my doctoral exams but, not being a historian by training or researching the colonial period, I hadn’t read much else of his work. But after his death I read a lot about Morgan. I read stories from his graduate students, from his colleagues, and from scholars who had come into contact with the man one way or another. It seemed […]

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#LoungeTweets: Dr. Simmons Tweets from the REL Lounge on Tuesday

It’s that time again. No, not exam time. It’s time for live tweets from the REL lounge! Take a break from the studying and see what’s going on with one of our amazing faculty members as they hang out in the REL lounge and think deep thoughts. No, that’s not right. Use #LoungeTweets. Dr. Merinda Simmons will hang out in the lounge from 2:00-3:00 on Tuesday Dec. 9 to answer questions, tweet about what’s happening in the lounge, and let us know […]

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A Room of Our Own

Tweets on the value of our dept. lounge: — Mike Altman (@MichaelJAltman) December 1, 2014 I just walked into the lounge to refill my water bottle and a student in my class was hanging out with her laptop. — Mike Altman (@MichaelJAltman) December 1, 2014 "I spent all day looking for this!” she says, and holds up a book. It’s Sehat’s _Myth of American Religious Freedom_… — Mike Altman (@MichaelJAltman) December 1, 2014 “Have you looked at it?”“Not really. Just […]

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REL Faculty Stay Class in San Diego

Don’t be surprised if a few offices are empty next week. Many of our wonderful REL faculty will be spending November 22-25 in sunny San Diego for the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature or AAR/SBL for short or #SBLAAR14 for hashtag. What will our faculty be doing in San Diego? Glad you asked. Some will be giving papers or talks to other scholars and sharing the research they’ve been doing. Others […]

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#LoungeTweets With Dr. Finnegan on Monday

Did you check out our #LoungeTweets a couple weeks ago? It was a blast. Now it’s time to do it again. Dr. Eleanor Finnegan will hang out in the lounge from 2:30-3:30 on Monday to answer questions, tweet about what’s happening in the lounge, and let us know what she’s up to lately. Follow her at @finneged. Follow @finneged Follow the conversation at #LoungeTweets. Don’t miss it! Tweet #LoungeTweets […]

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