Seth Schermerhorn's study visit to the University of Tartu on 11.-21. October

Seth Schermerhorn is an Associate Professor and the Director of American Studies at Hamilton College in Central New York (USA). He is on a study visit to the University of Tartu from 11. October–21. October.

In connection with this visit, there are two events that have been arranged. Both events will be in English.

Monday, Oct 14 at 16.15– 17.45, Room 139, at Ülikooli 18 

Lecture: “Walking to Magdalena: Personhood and Place in Tohono O'odham Songs, Sticks, and Stories”

Abstract: In Walking to Magdalena, Seth Schermerhorn explores a question that is central to the interface of religious studies and Native American and Indigenous studies: What have Native peoples made of Christianity? By focusing on the annual pilgrimage of the Tohono O'odham to Magdalena in Sonora, Mexico, Schermerhorn examines how these transnational Indigenous people of southern Arizona have made Christianity their own. This walk serves as the entry point for larger questions about what the Tohono O'odham have made of Christianity.


Friday, Oct 18, 18 00 – 20 00, Room 139, at Ülikooli 18

Film Screening: Pilgrimage to Magdalena

Film Description: Pilgrimage to Magdalena is an award-winning documentary film produced by Border Community Alliance (BCA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to bridging the US-Mexico border and fostering community through education, collaboration, and cultural exchange. The film celebrates the centuries-old transnational pilgrimage to Magdalena, Sonora, from the United States and Mexico. This event includes both a film screening and a discussion with Seth Schermerhorn, who worked as a consultant for the film and now serves on BCA's board of directors.

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Bionote: Seth is the author of Walking to Magdalena: Personhood and Place in Tohono O'odham Songs, Sticks, and Stories, which was co-published by the University of Nebraska Press and the American Philosophical Society. He is also the co-editor of Movement and Indigenous Religions, which was published by Routledge. He is the founding editor of the journal Indigenous Religious Traditions.

Organized by Department of Estonian and Comparative Folklore in collaboration with School of Theology and Religious Studies and Estonian Society for the Study of Religions.