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Volume CXXXII, Number 9 |
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Religion professor honored in Sri Lanka
JONATHAN PEREZ
STAFF WRITER
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| Holt was honored by the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka. (Karsten Moran, Bowdoin Orient) |
In recognition of his contributions to Sri Lankan studies, Professor John Clifford Holt will be awarded an honorary doctorate this coming December from the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka. Holt is a Professor of Religion and Humanities and is the chair of the religion department. Much of his intellectual pursuits have shed light on the connection between religious rites and practices of South East Asia and their cultural implications. He finds the study of religion as "an interdisciplinary approach, rather not boxing [religion] into a solely philosophical and political realm but expanding its dimensions to socio-demographic elements found in sociology and anthropology."
Professor Holt began his career as a member of the Bowdoin faculty in 1978. In 1982, he helped open the doors for a group of 24 college students to pursue further studies in Sri Lanka through the Intercollegiate Sri Lanka Education (ISLE) program. Going strong amidst 20 years of Sri Lankan civil war, the program caters to the liberal arts forum by offering a variety of courses in departments as diverse as environmental studies, ancient and modern history, archaeology, dance, buddhist philosophy and economics. In addition, Professor Holt served as the first chair of Bowdoin's Asian Studies program in 1986.
With the distinction of two of his books translated into Sinhala, Professor Holt declared it "an honor to know that a few of my own publications have been adapted into their educational system, being read at various universities in Sri Lanka." His works include The Religious World of Kirti Sri (1996) and Buddha in the Crown (1991); the latter earning two national book awards-the 1992 American Academy of Religion Book Award for Excellence and the President's Award for Original Research by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of Sri Lanka.
In the last few years, Professor Holt has helped bring 8 faculty members from Sri Lanka to lecture at Bowdoin. He now looks forward to the arrival of Gerald Peiris, a visiting professor who helped with the Intergroup Conflict in South Asia.