| Diana L. Eck |
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INTEREST IN OTHER RELIGIONS Eck received her B.A. in Religious Studies from Smith College in 1967, and her M.A. in South Asian History from The School Of Oriental And African Studies , University Of London in 1968. In 1976 she received her Ph.D. from Harvard University in the Comparative Study of Religion. In 1994 she became member of the American Academy Of Arts And Sciences . Eck became interested in other religions, and Hinduism in particular, when she went to India at age 20 and took some courses in Banaras . There she met with an old Hindu man who asked her, "Is it true that Christians believe that Jesus is the only Avatar ?" This question had motivated her to learn more about other religions. Since 1991, Diana Eck has been heading a research team at Harvard University to explore the new religious diversity of the United States and its meaning for the American pluralist experiment. In 2001, her book "A New Religious America" was published. It deals with the new religious diversity in the United States. AWARDS In 1994, Diana Eck and the Pluralism Project published "World Religions in Boston, A Guide to Communities and Resources" which introduces the different religious traditions and communities in Boston , Massachusetts - from Native Americans , Christians , Jews , Muslims , Buddhists , Hindus , Sikhs , Jains , to Zoroastrians . This book received an award from Media & Methods, EdPress, and Educom. In 1996 Prof. Eck was appointed to a U.S. State Department Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad, a twenty-member commission charged with advising the Secretary of State on enhancing and protecting religious freedom in the overall context of human rights. In 1998, President Clinton and the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded her for her work on American religious pluralism. WRITINGS
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