In addition to the public lecture, Professor Kelly Alley will be meeting the Interdisciplinary Water Working Group (IWWG), at 8:30 AM on October 10th, in the Water Institute Conference Room 570 Weil Hall for an informal discussion.  WI Affiliate faculty are invited to join this meeting.

Please let me know if you have any questions or plan to participate.  

Thanks.

Lisette M. Staal, Research Coordinator 
UF Water Institute
Phone 352-392-5893 x 2116
Email  [log in to unmask]


-----Original Message-----
From: Water Institute Expertise Faculty [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Graham, Wendy D.
Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2007 5:20 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: October 9th Water Institute Seminar: "River Goddesses, River Linking: From Sacred to Transferable Waters."


The Water Institute, the Center for the Study of Hindu Traditions (CHiTra), and the Center for Women's Studies and Gender Research at the University of Florida present a lecture by:

Professor Kelly Alley (Alumni Professor of Anthropology, Auburn
University)

"River Goddesses, River Linking: From Sacred to Transferable Waters."

October 9th, 2007, 7 pm
Room: CSE E119  (Computer Engineering Building)


In her lecture, Dr Alley outlines the Hindu reverence for key river Goddesses in India.  She connects faith, ritual, social organization, and political movements to illustrate the centrality of sacred water to everyday life.  Then turning to policy debates spanning the last fifteen years, she argues that a shift in priorities is underway to move attention away from pollution prevention and water quality and toward river water transfers and water quantity.  This is occurring as public uses of river water--for religious bathing, washing, household and small-scale industrial practices, and drinking purposes--provide basic livelihood services for millions.  Dr Alley outlines the implications of this shift for river basin science, policy and management, public users and religious worshipers as stakeholders, and the future of public water uses.

Kelly D. Alley is Alumni Professor of Anthropology and the Director of the Anthropology Program at Auburn University. She received her B.S.
from Cornell University and her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1990.

Dr Alley has carried out research in northern India for over fifteen years, focusing on public culture and environmental issues. Her book titled, *On the Banks of the Ganga: When Wastewater Meets a Sacred
River* (University of Michigan Press 2002), explores Hindu interpretations of the sacred river Ganga in light of current environmental problems. She is also the author of journal articles and book chapters on religion and nature, environmental policy and law, and public culture.  Dr Alley is working with Julian Crandall Hollick, NPR radio producer, on the "Ganga Radio Series," a series of features and documentaries about the culture and ecology of the river Ganges in India and Bangladesh. The series is set to air on NPR starting in the fall of 2007.  For more information on that project, see:
http://www.ibaradio.org/India/ganga/index.htm. Dr Alley is currently President of the Anthropology and Environment Section (www.eanth.org) of the American Anthropological Association.