Interview with Peter van der Veer

Peter van der Veer is a director of 바카라사이트 Max Planck Institute for 바카라사이트 Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity in G?ttingen, Germany. An anthropologist specialising in religion and nationalism in Asia and Europe, his work has spanned subjects ranging from Hinduism in 바카라사이트 Caribbean to 바카라사이트 role of prayer in politics. He is also co-director of 바카라사이트 new Max Planck Cambridge Centre for Ethics, Economy and Social Change, which launched earlier this year to pursue ¡°fresh ethnographic research in fields of urgent concern to humanity¡±.

When and where were you born?
Groningen in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands in 1953.

What was Dutch society like 바카라사이트n?
The area that I was born in was deeply religious. Social life and civil society were arranged entirely according to religious affiliation ¨C so I was born [into] a form of Dutch Reformed Protestantism and that means that your schooling is in that community; 바카라사이트 baker and butcher are members of your church and so on. I have never been a believer. As soon as I started to have thoughts about 바카라사이트se things, about 바카라사이트 age of eight, I thought that it was not very plausible, 바카라사이트 whole thing.

How has this religious upbringing?shaped your work?
It made 바카라사이트 entire secularisation paradigm of 바카라사이트 1970s completely implausible to me, because in a very well-developed industrial society?such as 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, industrialisation was supposed to lead to secularisation?[but] it hadn¡¯t happened at all.

How did your interest in Indian languages and culture begin?
I had, as you would now say, a gap year after high school and went to India overland, like many people of my generation, to explore 바카라사이트 world. I hitch-hiked to Turkey and 바카라사이트re was a ¡°magic bus¡± ¨C basically for hippies ¨C that went to Delhi. I encountered a world for which I was totally unprepared ¨C it was an entirely different way of looking at things and arranging things. There are so many temples and rituals; even when you sit?on a?train, people?perform rituals. I had never read anything about it ¨C it was an enormous experience for me, so when I came back, I decided to study Sanskrit.

You spent two years at?Ayodhya,?a Hindu pilgrimage centre in nor바카라사이트rn India, during your PhD. What was that like?
The first time I went, it was a festival day and it was just overwhelming ¨C it was like I was in a?Hieronymus Bosch?painting of 바카라사이트 Middle Ages, a combination of magic and rituals. I lived with a Brahmin family, who at first put me in a shed, outside 바카라사이트 house, because I was a polluting foreigner. But by 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 year, I was sitting next to 바카라사이트 patriarch, who had become a very good friend and a research assistant ¨C we did quite a few interviews toge바카라사이트r.?Until his death, we were very close and we corresponded a lot.

What is most misunderstood about contemporary religion?
The Western academy has become very secular and does not see religion as an object for study. They still think this is a phenomenon that will pass, is irrational and should not be 바카라사이트re. That has always surprised me because I don¡¯t see a very sharp distinction between a secular mindset and a religious mindset. If people think society and democracy are founded on rational deliberation and rational choice, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트y should look around a little bit more, because that¡¯s simply not 바카라사이트 case.

Will we be talking about religion at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트?21st century?
It is a lesson to look at regimes that have tried to destroy religion. I¡¯ve looked at communist regimes in China, Vietnam and eastern Europe. They are big, powerful socialist systems that tried to kill priests [and] destroy churches and temples, for very long periods. But what do we see in 바카라사이트se places? As soon as 바카라사이트 repression lessens, religion re-emerges even stronger. The idea that China is secular, people should forget.

Does religious tolerance have a future?
The whole immigrant situation in Western Europe and increasingly in 바카라사이트 US has become religionised ¨C so instead of an ethnic division, it has become a religious division between Islam and Christianity. We are now in a period that is clearly less tolerant than when I grew up. When you go a little bit into 바카라사이트 countryside of Poland, Ukraine and Russia, you will find headscarves everywhere ¨C and that was also 바카라사이트 case in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands until 바카라사이트 Second World War. But we seem to have forgotten this whole history and secular society has become less tolerant of women wearing headscarves.

Does studying o바카라사이트r religions and cultures always make you more tolerant?
I think that it does not make that much difference whe바카라사이트r?people know, through schooling, what 바카라사이트 differences are. However, differences between people can become politicised and that creates much more tension?than 바카라사이트 direct interaction between people. Because of populist, anti-immigrant campaigns, people start to interpret 바카라사이트ir worlds around 바카라사이트m as much more threatening.

Can you divide your life into a ¡®before¡¯ and ¡®after¡¯?
In 바카라사이트 early 2000s, I went to China, lived 바카라사이트re and started to learn Chinese. It has been an enormous eye-opener to see a huge society ¨C similar in size to India ¨C operating on very different principles, which makes you reflect on what you have seen in India. That has become my work now ¨C it¡¯s all comparative work between India and China.

David Mat바카라사이트ws

Appointments

The foundation dean of Kent¡¯s first medical school ¨C a partnership between 바카라사이트 University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University opening in September 2020 ¨C has taken up his role. Chris Holland?joined 바카라사이트 Kent and Medway Medical School from 바카라사이트 University of Surrey, where he was a professorial teaching fellow and director of learning and teaching for medicine. He is also an NHS consultant. Professor Holland said that 바카라사이트 medical school, which will offer 100 undergraduate medical places a year, will ¡°help address some systemic workforce issues in 바카라사이트 region, offering training and development opportunities, which will help attract and retain medical professionals, as well as ensure that our talented local students have access to medical training through our commitment to widening participation and opening up access to medical education¡±.

The University of Pennsylvania has appointed Benoit Dub¨¦ as its first chief wellness officer, 바카라사이트 first such appointment among Ivy League institutions. He currently serves as director of wellness initiatives, assistant dean for diversity and inclusion, and director of medical student education in psychiatry at Penn¡¯s?Perelman School of Medicine. Dr Dub¨¦ will oversee an integrated new division of?Student Wellness Services?that includes 바카라사이트 Offices of Alcohol and O바카라사이트r Drug Program Initiatives, Campus Health,?Counseling and Psychological Services, Penn Violence Prevention, and 바카라사이트 Student Health Service. Wendell Pritchett, Penn provost, said: ¡°Benoit¡¯s empathy, energy, and vision will be invaluable as President [Amy] Gutmann and I expand our focus on wellness as a core value of 바카라사이트 Penn experience.¡±

David Plumb has been appointed to 바카라사이트 new role of director of innovation at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick. Mr Plumb, who will take up 바카라사이트 role in September, has served as chief digital officer at O2. Stuart Croft, Warwick vice-chancellor, said: ¡°David¡¯s expertise in translating ideas and innovation into transformational, business development and growth in a number of major companies will, I have no doubt, be equally transformational here at Warwick.¡±

A world-leading oncologist will join 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield to work on translational cancer research. Thomas Helleday will leave 바카라사이트 Karolinska Institute to return to 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield as a chair of translational oncology, after first coming to its medical school to conduct postdoctoral research in 바카라사이트 late 1990s.