Aaron Gross: "The Question of Animal and Religion"

Aaron Gross, Professor of Theology and Religion Studies at the University of San Diego, comes to Duke to discuss his most recent book on kosher slaughter and the role of the animal in religious discussion. Professor Gross makes a powerful case for elevating the category of the animal in the study of religion. Major theorists have almost without exception approached religion as a phenomenon that radically marks humans off from other animals, but Professor Gross rejects this paradigm, instead matching religion more closely with the life sciences to better theorize human nature.

Professor Gross is the cochair of the American Academy of Religion's Animals and Religion group, and founder of the nonprofit organization Farm Forward. He is also the author of Animals and the Human Imagination: A Companion to Animal Studies.

A vegan lunch will be served at this event, so please rsvp to serena.elliott@duke.edu if you would like to attend.