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Princeton Professor to Speak Oct. 8 at Ohio Wesleyan

Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Ph.D., to Discuss ‘Pragmatism and Religion’

Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

DELAWARE, Ohio – Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Ph.D., chair of the Department of African American Studies and the William S. Tod Professor of Religion and African American Studies at Princeton University, will discuss “An Uncommon Faith: Pragmatism and Religion” on Oct. 8 at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Political commentator and PBS talk show host Tavis Smiley has declared: “Eddie Glaude is poised to become the leading intellectual voice of our generation, raising questions that make us re-examine the assumptions we hold by expanding our inventory of ideas.”

Glaude will speak at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 8 in the third-floor ballroom of Merrick Hall, 65 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. His free public presentation is Ohio Wesleyan’s 2015-2016 Merrick Lecture, sponsored by the OWU Department of Religion. Both the lecture series and building are named in honor of Frederick Merrick, second president of the university. The series began in 1889 and is Ohio Wesleyan’s oldest running lecture series.

Glaude’s research interests include American pragmatism, specifically the work of John Dewey, and African American religious history and its place in American public life. He is the author of several books, including the forthcoming “Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul,” described as a “landmark book on race in America, one that promises to spark wide discussion as we move toward the end of our first black presidency.”

Speaking at Colgate University’s 2015 commencement, Glaude discussed the challenges facing the nation and the difficult choices facing its citizens:

“War and violence, greed and selfishness, profound inequality and deep-seated hatred animate these days,” Glaude said. “Your fellows are in the streets clamoring for justice and insisting that no life in this country should be valued more than another. How will you orient yourselves to the ‘fierce urgency of now?’

“So much of the ugliness of our current moment requires that you and I turn our backs on the habits and practices that distort and undermine democratic life in this country,” Glaude continued. “The question is will you do it? Do you have the courage to stand up and confront the powers that have hijacked the country in the name of greed, hatred and security?”

In addition to “Democracy in Black,” scheduled to be published in January, Glaude is the author of “Exodus: Religion, Race, and Nation in Early 19th Century Black America”; “In a Shade of Blue: Pragmatism and the Politics of Black America”; and “African American Religion: A Very Short Introduction.” He also is the editor of “Is it Nation Time? Contemporary Essays on Black Power and Black Nationalism” and co-editor with Cornel West, Ph.D., of “African American Religious Thought: An Anthology.”

A graduate of Morehouse College, Glaude was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr., the school’s most famous graduate. As a result, Glaude “seeks to prod and to provoke, to insist and to incite, to encourage and to embolden fellow citizens to rise to the profound challenges of our day.”

Learn more about Glaude at www.princeton.edu. Learn more about the OWU Department of Religion and Merrick Lecture Series at https://www.owu.edu/academics/departments-programs/department-of-religion/.

Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers 86 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Ohio Wesleyan combines a challenging, internationally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities to connect classroom theory with real-world experience. OWU’s 1,750 students represent 46 U.S. states and territories and 43 countries. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.