KELLER, Mary (L.) 1964-

PERSONAL:

Born January 6, 1964, in Sundance, WY; daughter of Patterson Keller (an Episcopal minister). Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: Williams College, B.A., 1987; Syracuse University, M.A., Ph.D., 1997. Hobbies and other interests: Environmental and democratic activism, mountain biking, ice hockey, skiing.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Rawhide Academics, 1025 Cody Ave., Cody, WY 82414.

CAREER:

University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland, lecturer in women's and religious studies, 1997-2002; University of Wyoming, Laramie, adjunct professor, 2003—. Rawhide Academics, Cody, WY, affiliate.

MEMBER:

Amnesty International, American Association of University Women, MoveOn.org, Biker Chicks.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Award for best book in the history of religions, American Academy of Religion, 2002, for The Hammer and the Flute.

WRITINGS:

The Hammer and the Flute, Johns Hopkins University Press (Baltimore, MD), 2001.

Contributor to books, including Gender, Religion, and Diversity, edited by Tina Beattie and Ursula King, Continuum Publishing (New York, NY), 2003; contributor to periodicals, including Imaginario.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

Sustainable Bodies and Religious Identities: Struggles for Power and Meaning in the Postcolonial Context; research on W. E. B. DuBois and Frantz Fanon, on postcolonial feminist theory, and on Amartya Sen and economics.

SIDELIGHTS:

Mary Keller told CA: "We live in a time that is in need of thoughtful frames or stories that will allow us to think about the relationship of religious lives to struggles for meaning and power. In order to make these stories or frames sufficiently rich, they need to address basic philosophical issues (such as representation) and speak to the burning issues of selfhood (race, gender, class). The field I work in, history of religions, is an interdisciplinary field that attempts to accurately identify and translate complex historical moments and ideas in order to broaden our ability to understand the perpetual proximity of religion to struggles for power and meaning. I think people are hungry for this kind of thinking and writing. I know that I am."