Katie Lofton of Yale University: "Believe Me When I Say: What Bob Dylan Teaches the Study of Religion"

Tuesday 10/15, 4.30 pm

Religions in America (RAME) Workshop: The category of belief predominates historical studies of religion in the United States. For many scholars, perceiving belief is what verifies the utility of understanding religion as a force in history, since (they argue) belief is an engine of human action. This talk queries the certitude that one can identify belief in the archive and understand it through observing individual and collective behavior. The focusing subject is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, whose capacity to inspire belief among listeners, not to mention historians, is definitive of his legend.