Author: rbtstockman@gmail.com
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Ted Brownstein, “Muhammad – Peacemaker,” Sept. 20, 2026, 2 p.m. Eastern
To register for the webinar In Western discourse, the life and character of Muhammad are often shaped by widespread misconceptions that cast Him in a negative light. Among the most consequential of these are claims that He propagated Islam through violence, particularly by means of military conquest and coerced conversion. The Bahá’í Writings have…
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Corinne True Center Conference on Bahá’í History, June 5–7, 2026
The Corinne True Center convened its second annual conference on Bahá’í history, texts, and thought at Green Acre Bahá’í School from Friday, June 5, through noon on Sunday, June 7, 2026. The conference was intended to encourage, support, and disseminate emerging scholarship in Bahá’í history; Bahá’í theological and philosophical thought; the translation, interpretation, and study…
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Zackery Mirza Heern, “Muslim Clerics in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh”
Watch the Video Recording Read the Transcript One of the most unique features of the Bahá’í Faith, which distinguishes it from other religions, is that its administrative system does not have clergy. What, then, do Bahá’u’lláh’s writings tell us about clergy of other religions? This paper addresses this question by exploring, analyzing, and contextualizing the…
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Gwen Etter-Lewis: “Capturing a Moment of Historic Portent: Oral History as a Catalyst for Social Change”
Watch the Video Recording This paper is based on my study of the Baha’i response to police murders in 2020 using oral history methodology. The study entitled “Anti-Black Racism: A Baha’i Response” was published in The Baha’i Faith and African American Studies (2023). Gwen Etter-Lewis has a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Michigan.…
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Angelita D. Reyes: “Touching History: Spaces Between Theory and Elder Oral History Practices on Video”
Watch the Video Recording Based on collaborative work with filmmakers and elderly African American community members in a rural Virginia community, this presentation highlights culturally responsive interviewing, collaboration, and the preservation of elders’ voices through video as a valuable archival resource. Reference will be made to the “table conversations” of Baha’i pilgrims—informal yet profound discussions…
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Anne Perry, “Bringing History Alive through the Arts”
Watch the Video Recording Read the Transcript The evening program on the arts will explore how research, writing, use and creation of visual resources, music, and collaborative efforts can result in works that inspire, uplift, teach, and document aspects of Bahá’í history. Film clips will include a video on Sarah Farmer (10 min.), the Green…
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James Russell, “Marzieh Gail as a Medievalist”
Watch the Video Recording The translations of the Baháʼí Sacred Writings by Marzieh Gail (1908-1993) are foundational to Baháʼí worship in the English-speaking world. Her renderings of Bahá’u’lláh’s The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Secret of Divine Civilization (with her father Ali-Kuli Khan), Memorials of the Faithful, and Selections from the Writings of…
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Hamid Afnan Mahdavy and Elham Afnan Mahdavy, “Historical, Religious, and Symbolic Significance of the House of the Báb”
Watch the Video Recording Read the Transcript Session 1 – Elham Afnan Mahdavy This presentation will focus on the principal figures connected with the story of the House of the Báb and its custodianship. In particular, we will look at the lives and contributions of the following individuals: Through their stories, we will come to…
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Holly Hanson, “Patterns of Bahá’í Collective Worship”
Watch the Video Recording This paper places the development of Baha’i collective worship in the context of what is known about Christian and Moslem worship when those Faiths were in their early centuries. Using interviews and ethnographic observation as well as historical sources, it traces Bahá’í efforts to shape collective worship in a way that…
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Angelita Reyes and Gwen Etter-Lewis, “Touching History: Theory and Practice in Oral History Interviews”
Oral history is both a discipline and a method for collecting, preserving, and interpreting the voices and memories of individuals, communities, and firsthand accounts of past events. Originating in the oral traditions of cultures worldwide, oral history is the oldest form of historical inquiry and predates written language. The lead title of this panel, “touching…