Interview with Douglas Winiarski, 2024 Murrin Prize Winner

Douglas Winiarski’s article, “Revisioning the Shawnee Prophet: Revitalization Movements, Religious Studies, and the Ontological Turn” EAS 22, No. 2 (Spring 2024), is the winner of the 2024 Murrin Prize. The Murrin Prize is named for John Murrin (1936-2020), Professor Emeritus of History at Princeton University, who was a scholar of early American history and an active member of the McNeil Center community. The prize is awarded annually for the best…

“And well improve each moment as it flies”: Spiritual Utility and Quaker Art – Janet Moore Lindman, Rowan University

In 1670, George Fox, the founder of the Religious Society of Friends, rebuked fellow Quakers to “pluck down your images” lest they be imitating “the Creator.” Fox’s admonition against the display of fine art established a prohibition that lasted for over a century. Friends believed that painting was of little merit to one’s spiritual enhancement. They valued a “useful education” that taught children religious principles coupled with practical skills. Not…

Beyond Myth-busting – Bradley Dubos

On December 6, 1811, New York City’s mayor, DeWitt Clinton, stood before the New-York Historical Society (N-YHS) and voiced a prediction: “Before the passing away of the present generation, not a single Iroquois will be seen in this state.” I stumbled on Clinton’s speech while assisting with content research for a history exhibition at N-YHS. The exhibit, Acts of Faith: Religion and the American West, opens by examining how Haudenosaunee…