Reading Groups

The Universal House of Justice has set as a focus for the Association for Bahá’í Studies to create opportunities for the friends to build their capacity to contribute to discourses in professional and academic fields from a Bahá’í perspective. The need for this seems clearer every day.

As one initiative in this context, ABS is organizing several online reading groups. The purpose of a reading group is to encourage individuals connected to a given professional or academic discourse to engage thoughtfully and rigorously with important texts in a consultative environment that aims to increase their capacity to contribute to that discourse. It does so by meeting regularly over the course of a number of weeks to review selected readings and discuss their implications for understanding the discourse and the assumptions that underlie it. With the assistance of facilitators, the group strives to analyze the text(s) in light of the writings of the Faith, the experience of the community, and the conceptual framework that organizes the Bahá’í community’s efforts to transform society. Participation entails a commitment to reading the material and contributing to the consultation during the sessions.

Reading groups are offered throughout the year. To keep informed of this and other ABS initiatives, join our electronic mailing list (by writing to [email protected]) or follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

Film, Value and Ethics

Text: What Film is Good For: On the Values of Spectatorship by Julian Hanich & Martin P. Rossouw

This book brings together thirty-six scholars, critics, and filmmakers in search of an answer to the question "What is film good for?" Their responses range from the most personal to the most theoretical—and, together, recast current debates about film ethics. Movie watching emerges as a wellspring of value, able to sustain countless visions of "the good life." Films, these authors affirm, make us reflect, connect, adapt; they evoke wonder and beauty and they challenge and transform. In a word, its varieties of value make film invaluable. This group will explore these debates, while at the same time exploring how film shapes cultural attitudes and contributes to social change, noting some common underlying assumptions that have influenced that change. Select film screenings will also be included with study of the text.

Facilitator: Christina Wright

Schedule: Weekly (Wednesday) 22 May – 17 July, 8:30 to 10:00 PM Eastern time

Thinking About the Meaning of Technology: Media and the Self

Text: The Frailest Thing by L.M. Sacasas

When we try to understand the nature and purpose of technology, certain questions inevitably arise: What is the role of technology in human progress? What is its impact on humankind? Insights into questions such as these rest on deeply fundamental beliefs about the nature and purpose of material progress itself. When we survey the discourse surrounding technological innovation, do we find notions of progress that more closely correspond with the "dynamic coherence between the spiritual and material aspects of human existence" to be fostered in our day-to-day lives and society-building endeavors? This reading group will explore articles by L.M. Sacasas at the intersection of the self, ethics, morality, and media technologies. Participants in this group do not need to have participated in its fall or winter editions, as each essay the group will read is self-contained.

Participants are encouraged to participate for the full ninety minutes, as well as to complete the assigned and/or supplementary readings for each session so they can contribute to the discussion. Questions to consider may be provided to assist with reading and reflecting on the material. The group’s schedule is structured yet flexible, allowing for adjustments as needed. As these are standalone essays, weekly attendance is encouraged but not required.

Facilitators: Janice Ndegwa, Sami Joubert

Schedule: Weekly (Thursday) 9 May - 27 June, 9:00 to 10:30 PM Eastern time

Arts: Friday Session

Text: The Fashioner: Reflections on the Role of Music and the Arts in Building a Global Community by Jenina Lepard

This reading group will focus on studying a specific text relevant both to those who practice a form of art and those who appreciate the arts generally. The focus will be the use of the arts in a Bahá’í context, but it will also be relevant to those who are not Bahá’ís.

As drawing on the power of the arts is an example of one of specific areas of focus encouraged by the Universal House of Justice, it is especially timely for us to embark on studies that will nurture, inform, and propel us into greater service through the arts. We have selected a Bahá’í-specific text this time for our study.

The community building process with creativity as a basis for our collective enterprise is of great interest to us and is a specific part of this next reading group’s material. Networking, collaboration, appreciating each others’ talents and skills, and fostering our participation in ABS and its conferences are all aspects of the intended sphere of our activity.

The Fashioner takes the reader on a journey through the various ways in which the arts can touch people's lives. Drawing on inspirational quotations from the Bahá'í Writings, as well as interviews with a number of artists, this book explores the transformative power of the arts. Lepard discusses architecture, photography, music, dance, theater, and painting, and looks at the way in which Bahá'í artists have applied principles of the Faith to their art. The community building process happening within the global Bahá'í community today, and the ways in which the arts can be used to inspire and enhance these activities, are also discussed. It is hoped that this book will serve as encouragement for anyone wishing to understand and connect to the creative arts and find ways to explore their use in Bahá’í activities and community life more deeply.

The text is available here, and through an Amazon Kindle version.

In addition, we will be looking at this selection of the Writings.

Participants will read specific chapters of the book for each session, in advance, and take notes on significant points. There are twelve chapters in the book. In addition, we will suggest reading specific quotes from the compilation and choose discussion question(s) for each session.

Some of the reading group goals:

To review Bahá’í Writings on the arts, both general and specific.
To learn about how music has been utilized to transform hearts, with specific individual and choral examples; to look at the development of architecture as a universal yet diverse art form and how it serves as a catalyst for worldwide community building; to consider how visual arts such as painting and photography play roles in an ever-advancing civilization; to reflect on what dance, drama, and filmmaking offer to a spiritually evolving world; and to delve into how literature in various genres has and will contribute to the development of the Faith.
To consider the role of music and the arts in the core activities: devotional gatherings, home visits, children’s classes, junior youth groups, youth activities, and study circles and in the commemoration of Nineteen Day Feasts and Holy Days

We are offering two sessions of the same group. Participants can choose one or the other.

Facilitators: Anne Perry, Michèle Jubilee

Schedule: Weekly (Friday) 3 May – 26 July, 12:00 to 1:30 PM Eastern time

Distilling Creativity

Text: The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

This group uses the book "The Creative Act," as the basis of a study that involves understanding some eighty practical and spiritual principles associated with the creative process. The study group will engage in discussions that bridge the worlds of artistic expression and spiritual philosophy. By examining the role of removing ego from the creative process and achieving a state of "flow" through collaboration with oneself and others, we can identify parallels with spiritual concepts like reflection and the interconnectedness of all things. We will analyze how authenticity and emotional honesty aligns with spiritual teachings on the pursuit of truth. Additionally, we will explore how overcoming personal and social limitations resonates with spiritual principles of continuous learning and the evolution of consciousness. Ultimately, this study group aims to illuminate the transformative potential of the artistic process when guided by age-old artistic principles that tap into the individual's spiritual understanding. By drawing connections between practical creative laws and spiritual concepts, we hope to inspire a more purposeful and holistic approach to art creation by distilling the principles of creativity. This group is best fit for creatives of any medium in all stages of their creative journey.

Facilitators: Misaq Kazimi, Red Grammer

Schedule: Biweekly (Tuesday) 23 April onward, 9:00 to 10:30 PM Eastern time

Reflections on Polarization and High Conflict

Text: High Conflict, Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out by Amanda Ripley

Symptoms of disunity, such as polarization and high conflict, are described in this book where people withdraw into themselves or act out, create divisions and in some cases precipitate violence and war. The author takes a close look at five different stories: that of an environmentalist, a lawyer turned divorce mediation expert, a former Chicago street gang member, a former female member of the FARC in Columbia and a Rabbi in a prominent Synagogue in New York city. Each story goes into detail of the circumstances that led the individuals or groups into extremely polarized conditions and activities and how they eventually extracted themselves from them. The author makes analyses to help identify the personal and societal signs of polarization and suggests how to prevent its development into full blown conflict.

For Bahá’ís I would suggest that the challenge of this book is to look at the detailed stories of the individuals and groups, their circumstances and mindsets, learn from the observations and conclusions of the author and find the connection with the Bahá’í teachings at the individual, the community and institutional levels that could have prevented the extreme polarizations from happening and provided an enduring remedy. Another question to consider would be, "when would it be wise to address individuals and groups in high conflict situations, and what approaches might be used to do so?"

The book is broken down into seven weekly sessions. Although many sections are about fifty pages long, the book is easy reading. Participants are asked to take turns, choose a book chapter(s) for one session, prepare a summary, and suggest quotations of the related and remedial Bahá’í principles and teachings addressing the issues. Reading the introduction is optional but recommended.

Facilitators: William R. Edgar

Schedule: Weekly (Saturday) 11 May – 15 June, 12:30 to 2:00 PM Eastern time

Harnessing Technology: The Pursuit of Moderation

Text: The Whale and the Reactor by Langdon Winner

In its 28 November 2023 message reflecting on the first century of the Formative Age, the beloved Universal House of Justice listed “unbridled technology” as one of the destructive forces that has left its “traces in blood and anguish on the pages of history and the lives of billions”. What has earned technology such an infamous position alongside “the erosion of truth and reason,” “war and genocide,” and others? What does it mean for technology to be unbridled? How does the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh shape our perspectives of these limits? What does all of this imply in a social context where our relationship with technology is at once so intimate and so unconscious? In an effort to explore this topic, we will draw on the rich contributions of Langdon Winner in The Whale and the Reactor: A Search for Limits in an Age of High Technology. Together, we will strive to correlate those gems we have been able to unearth from the Revelation with this central contribution to the technology discourse. In order to develop our ability to analyze deeply the thoughts being offered in a written work and properly set each idea within the context of the whole argument, we will take our time with each of Winner’s chapters, making sure to extract as best we can his intended meaning and consider fully its implications. Learning how to create an environment that fosters growth in this respect is a central point of learning for this group.

Participants are asked to read The Secret of Divine Civilization prior to the start of the reading group. It is also expected that participants will read the assigned weekly reading before each call (we plan to experiment with reading some chapters again during the session), and to participate as fully as possible with the camera on when able.

Facilitators: Adib Shafipour, Quddús George

Schedule: Weekly (Friday) 26 April – 12 July, 9:00 to 10:30 PM Eastern time

True Reconciliation: How to Be a Force for Change

Text: True Reconciliation: How to be a Force for Change by Jody Wilson-Raybould

This reading group builds on the past three Indigenous Studies reading groups. We will augment the work with quotations from the Bahá’í Writings as well as other relevant material related to our various professions to help participants map a course of action for becoming a force for change and reconciliation. The previous groups have studied Truth and Reconciliation: Calls to Action, Look to the Mountain: An Ecology of Indigenous Education by Dr. Gregory Cajete, and two research papers related to the application of Indigenous education in the life of students in Thunder Bay by Dr. John Hodson et al., as well as Rising to the Challenge of Reconciliation by Dr. Roshan Danesh and Douglas White III. Previous knowledge, though preferred, is not a prerequisite.

Participants are encouraged to participate regularly and to read the assigned section of the book prior to the meeting. They are also encouraged to share questions and quotations to stimulate thought and conversation ahead of the meeting or as a reflection of the meeting.

Facilitators: Louise Profeit-Leblanc, Farzaneh Peterson, Sheila Hardy

Schedule: Weekly (Sunday) 12 May – 7 July, 6:00 to 7:30 PM Eastern time

Agriculture and the Environment

Text: Grain by Grain: A Quest to Revive Ancient Wheat, Rural Jobs and Healthy Food

Authors: Bob Quinn – Montana organic farmer, green businessman, Rodale Institute’s Organic Pioneer Award recipient, PhD in plant biochemistry. Liz Carlisle – Born and raised in Montana, Award winning author, Professor in the Environmental Studies Program at UC Santa Barbara, PhD in geography.

Grain by Grain guides us on a journey taken by farmer, Bob Quinn, who returned to the Great Plains of Montana to manage the family farm after completing a doctorate degree in plant biochemistry. Quinn’s journey takes an honest and comprehensive look at value and how value should focus much more on quality farm products than simply quantity. Most critically the authors refer to personal values or qualities, meaning a paradigm shift toward the long-term well-being of people, communities and land instead of the short-term goal of solely maximizing monetary profit and efficiencies. Quinn proposes that farmers grow and develop agricultural products to be marketed outside of the huge, primary commodity markets. This can happen when products are valued by their specific benefits rather than simply becoming part of the mainstream market. An example of this is Quinn’s successful development and registration of a market for Kamut wheat with only organically grown Kamut accepted, which identifies this crop for its own distinctive benefit and market. Quinn’s experiments grew as demand for organic food grew. He took advantage of proven regenerative agronomic practices like cover cropping and crop rotation to improve poor quality cropland which led to achieving prosperous grain yields without the use of synthetic pesticides. Ultimately the story is about the transformation of individuals, communities and institutions on the Great Plains of the USA. By means of successful attempts to enhance rural well-being, including the application of renewable energy, Quinn creates a template, grain by grain, for others to begin revitalization initiatives of their own rural communities.

Participants are involved in weekly discussions about relevant topics that assist them with carrying out elevated conversations with individuals and representatives of institutions in their communities, leading to positive social change and civilization building. Please feel free to participate in weekly discussions regardless of whether you have kept pace with the assigned readings. Assigned readings will be available soon. Excerpts from the Bahá’í Writings that correlate with chapter themes will be selected weekly.

Facilitators: Neil Whatley, Darren Hedley (with discussant, Kim Naqvi)

Schedule: Weekly (Wednesday) 1 May – 10 July, 8:00 to 9:30 PM Eastern time

Arts: Monday Session