Holly Walters
Lecturer in Anthropology
Cultural anthropologist whose ethnographic work focuses on pilgrimage and politics in the Nepal Himalayas, as well as material culture, divine personhood, and ritual practice in South Asia. Drawing on theoretical frameworks in psychological/medical and linguistic anthropology, her current research addresses the roles of sacred landscapes and digital religious revival in the relationships between Hindus, Buddhists, and Bonpos who venerate sacred fossils, called Shaligrams.
Education
- B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison
- M.A., Brandeis University
- Ph.D., Brandeis University
Current and upcoming courses
Divine Madness: Dreams, Visions, Hallucinations
REL236
This course explores anthropological, religious, and psychiatric perspectives on mental health and mental illness, with careful attention to varied constructions of "madness", treatment, and healing across human cultures. We begin with comparative questions: are there universal standards of positive mental and emotional functioning? Are there overall commonalities in approaches to psychic and emotional disturbances? What is the role of spirituality? After considering the history of ‘madness’ in the West, we consider early anthropological and religious models of "madness" elsewhere. We next turn to ritualized therapeutic interventions in small-scale indigenous societies and consider a range of case studies from around the world. We conclude with a unit on culture and mental health in the United States and the ‘globalization” of American models of the psyche
(ANTH 236 and REL 236 are cross-listed courses.)-
Digital Religion: Virtual Gods and Automated Adoration in the Modern Age
REL238
How has technology impacted religion? How has religion influenced technology? This course explores how digital technologies like the Internet, social media, gaming, virtual reality, telecommunications, and artificial intelligence (AI) have changed the way that people think about and practice religion. Throughout this course, we will focus on the relationships between religion, digital media, robotics, and popular culture online using both real-world case studies and current research in the fields of religion, anthropology, and science and technology studies (STS). (ANTH 248 and REL 238 are cross-listed courses.)