Works that Shaped the World: The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

TheHumanities Research Centre(HRC) was established in 1972 as a national and international centre for excellence in the humanities and a catalyst for innovative and interdisciplinary humanities research within the Australian National University and beyond. As one of Australia’s prime gateways to humanities scholarship throughout the world, the HRC promotes advanced research in and across the humanities through an annual Visiting Fellowship Program and a range of conferences, workshops, seminars, and public lectures.

The Humanities Research Centre

In 2022, the HRC’s Works that Shaped the World public lecture series focuses on religion.

Khalil Gibran’s book-length mystical poem, The Prophet, is one of the most popular but critically neglected modern religious and literary texts. First published in 1923, and selling in the tens of millions, The Prophet was hailed as the bible of the 1960s counterculture for its syncretic spiritual message with traces of anti-clerical Christianity, Romanticism, Sufism and Theosophy. Today, it is in perfect harmony with the individualistic and therapeutic spirituality prevalent in the West, with the sacred located in the self. And yet, beyond the fawning Lebanese diaspora, scholars and critics have had little to say about The Prophet, other than occasionally presenting it as a counterpoint to elitist academic poetry. This public lecture will explore the context, content, reception and relevance of The Prophet, as well as the tragic life of its author, who once wrote, “the difference between a prophet and a poet is that the prophet lives what he teaches – and the poet does not.”Presenter:<a href="https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/abraham-i" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Ibrahim Abraham</a><a href="https://www.acu.edu.au/research-and-enterprise/our-research-institutes/institute-for-religion-and-critical-inquiry/our-people/miles-pattenden" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer"> </a>is the Hans Mol Research Fellow in Religion and the Social Sciences in the Humanities Research Centre of the Australian National University. His most recent book is <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Race-Class-and-Christianity-in-South-Africa-Middle-Class-Moralities/Abraham/p/book/9780367546298" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Race, Class and Christianity in South Africa</a> (Routledge, 2021).

Our {communityGuidelinesLink} describe the sort of content we prohibit on Eventbrite. If you suspect an event may be in violation, you can report it to us so we can investigate.

To report other categories of prohibited or illegal content, submit {link}

Works that Shaped the World: The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

More events from The Humanities Research Centre

Follow organisers to get events picked for you

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all online events to browse and filter by date, category, and more.

Works that Shaped the World: The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

More events from The Humanities Research Centre

Follow organisers to get events picked for you

You might also like...

Browse more events with different dates, prices, and formats to find your next great experience.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all online events to browse and filter by date, category, and more.