Ronald L. Grimes, Professor Emeritus of Religion and Culture at Wilfrid Laurier University, describes himself by many titles, one of which includes video ethnographer. Besides submitting a paper dealing with the politics of performance in rituals, Grimes also shares an intimate video piece that centers on a Condolence Ceremony for a young Muslim mother who is survived by her Jewish husband and their beautiful four-year old daughter after losing her fight against leukemia. The ceremony, held in Canada, was offered by the Mohawk indigenous tribe and was attended by family and friends of the deceased.
Watch the full film here: A Daughter’s Song

As part of our new Mellon initiative Seminars in Historical, Global, and Emerging Humanities, the FHI is partnering with Duke’s 18 arts, humanities, and interpretive social sciences departments to organize a 3-year series of cross-departmental public seminars. Each Humanities Futures event brings together a sub-group of Duke humanities departments, in a joint exploration of the futures of the disciplines in light of the interdisciplinary developments of recent decades. This event is jointly organized by the FHI, the Department of Cultural Anthropology, the Dance Program, and the Program in Literature.