Congratulations to Zhelun Zhou ’20, a double major in philosophy & religion and history whose research on the “Politics of Confucian Revival” was awarded the Robinson’s Essay Prize for best essay in Religion or Philosophy & Religion. Originally written for his Religion Theory seminar, the revised essay will be published in the 2019 UCLA Journal of Religion.

An international student from Hangzhou, China, Zhelun is deeply interested in the study of religious rituals, the interplay between politics and religion, the questionof secularism and religion, the contemporary issues of Chinese religions, and also Asian religions in general within the Philosophy & Religion major. Under the teaching of both Professors Brenton Sullivan and Georgia Frank, he tries to think about religion in a comparative way.

He plans to apply for a Watson Fellowship in the upcoming fall and pursue a graduate degree in history. Zhelun spent the spring in London with Colgate’s History Study Group, where he began work on a project titled, “To Educate as to Govern: Hong Kong Education Policy under British Rule, 1967-1978.” He will continue this project during the summer of 2019 with support from a Lampert Fellowship.

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Jenna Reinbold, Associate Professor of Religion, has received the 2019 Phi Eta Sigma “Professor of the Year” award, the highest student-awarded teaching honor at Colgate.

Phi Eta Sigma is the nation’s oldest and largest honors society for first-year college and university students in all disciplines. Students become eligible for membership in Phi Eta Sigma by earning a minimum 3.50 GPA during their first year at Colgate. Its membership chooses the “Professor of the Year” from nominations made by the student body.

Previous recipients of the award have included Philosophy & Religion professors:

• Chris Vecsey, 1988
• Marilyn Thie, 1989
• Coleman Brown, 1992
• Jerry Balmuth, 1994
• Jim Wetzel, 1997

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Harvey J. Sindima is Presidential Scholar and Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Colgate University. He is author of numerous articles and books. His latest book is Classical Theories in African Religion.

Currently, there is no book on the theories and methods in African religious systems. This book fills that lacuna. The development of theories is discussed extensively, including biographical information about the theorists themselves, concentrating on their intellectual history and influences, their particular contribution to the development of theories, and their reactions to the theories of other scholars in the discipline. The discussion on each scholar’s work is detailed and the main work is examined and compared to other scholars’ works.

This comparative approach to theories is maintained throughout the book to meet the two objectives:

1. to give readers a general overview of the history of the discipline, and;
2. to present a full study of the development of the various theories used in the academic study of religion.

Theories are not simply referred to, but their evolution, development, and application to African religion are explained. Both theory and method are grounded in various African religious systems. This is done to provide readers maximum exposure to the variety of religious systems in Africa.

The use of this book extends beyond African religion. Students and scholars who will benefit from this book include those in religious studies in general, African and Africana studies, anthropology, and sociology among other disciplines.

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