BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam//NONSGML v1.0//EN NAME:Reading Group: End-of-Life & Religion #3 METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20261210T124500 DTEND:20261210T140000 DTSTAMP:20261210T124500 UID:reading-group-end-of-life-reli@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573 CREATED:20260826T202622 LOCATION: SUMMARY:Reading Group: End-of-Life & Religion #3 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

In our reading group at the library on ‘End-of-Life & Religion,’ co-organised by dr. Pieter Coppens & dr. Jens Reinke, everyone’s academic and p ersonal perspective on the topic is cordially invited. Together, thro ugh literature, film, articles & more, we’ll try to deepen our understanding of how religion and the last phase of life are intertwi ned.

The topic 

It’s  easy to resort to clichés when it comes to death. Death is far away in much of everyday life, and at the same time it is everywhere. Deat h is universal and yet also highly particular: personal, cultural,&nb sp;contextual. So, death as a topic exists on these junctions of alwa ys present and pushed away; of applying to everyone but also manifest ing itself in highly specific ways. Connected to these junctions we f ind religion’s interactions with death. Where in many instance s religion is pushed to the fringes of society, death seemingly reinvites religion into the conversation, perhaps implying& nbsp;more junctions. It is from this broad sketch, that we enter the field as a reading group. As organisers, we hope people from a wide range of disciplines feel invited to join, from me dical and behavioural sciences to literature and philosophy. 

Session build-up 

This third sessio n centres on Essay Liu’s (writer) and Yu-Lin Wang’s (director) fi lm Seven Days in Heaven (父後七日). Fo r a rudimentary introduction to this material, you can scroll down to the film cover. Co-organiser dr. Jens Reinke will offer an introduct ion to the film and we’ll watch it together. Co-organiser Marc Lama in will guide the ensuing conversation. The schedule is as follo ws: 

12:45 p.m. walk-in (a t the University Library, HG-01A01) 
12:55 p.m. opening: the organisers introduce the reading grou p, its topic and some guidelines 
1:00 p.m. introduction: dr. Jens Reinke introduces Seven Days in Heave n by Essay Liu and Yu-Lin Wang
1:25 p.m. win dow to leave (for anyone with other commitments after the lunch break )
1:30 p.m. watching the film
3:00 p.m . open conversation
3:30 p.m. closing

Reading group build-up 

During three initial sessions we’ll enter this&n bsp;wide thematic field together. We’ve purpose fully selected light and elementary material for these three&nbs p;sessions, so we can ease into the topic together. Once&nb sp;we’ve laid this foundation, subsequent sessions&n bsp;can have a more refined angle and more complex material.&nbs p;You’re free to join us for any of the sessions that spe ak to you; but do encourage you to join us all along the way. &n bsp;

The initial sessions are built up as follows:&nb sp;

At the end of 2026 subsequent sessions will b e announced. 

The organisers 

< p>This reading group is co-organised by the University Library a nd researchers dr. Pieter Coppens & dr. Jens Reinke.  Coppens is associate professor of Islamic intellectual and cultural h istory. His research project The Art of Dying in Islami c Traditions (600–1800) focuses on the relationship betwe en the deathbed in premodern Islam. Reinke is ass istant professor of Buddhist studies. His research on conte mporary Mahaya Buddhism in a global perspective has recently started branching into the last of phase of life in Buddhism. 

< p>As part of the University Library, programme maker Marc Lamain co-o rganises this reading group. If you want to know more about reading groups at the library, the dedicated webpage should be of service to you.&nbs p;

DESCRIPTION: In our reading group at the library on ‘End-of-Life &am p; Religion,’ co-organised by dr. Pieter Coppens & dr. Jens Rei nke, everyone’s academic and personal perspective on the topic is c ordially invited. Together, through literature, film, articles & more, we’ll try to deepen our understanding of how religion and the last phase of life are intertwined.

The topic&n bsp;

It’s easy to resort to clichés when it comes to deat h. Death is far away in much of everyday life, and at the same time i t is everywhere. Death is universal and yet also highly particular: p ersonal, cultural, contextual. So, death as a topic exists on th ese junctions of always present and pushed away; of applying to every one but also manifesting itself in highly specific ways. Connected to these junctions we find religion’s interactions with death. W here in many instances religion is pushed to the fringes of society, death seemingly reinvites religion into the conversation,&n bsp;perhaps implying more junctions. It is from this b road sketch, that we enter the field as a reading group. As organisers, we hope people from a wide range of disciplines feel inv ited to join, from medical and behavioural sciences to literature and philosophy. 

Session build-up 

Thi s third session centres on Essay Liu’s (writer) and Yu-Lin Wang’s (director) film Seven Days in Heaven (父後七日 ). For a rudimentary introduction to this material, you can scroll down to the film cover. Co-organiser dr. Jens Reinke will offe r an introduction to the film and we’ll watch it together. Co-organ iser Marc Lamain will guide the ensuing conversation. The schedu le is as follows: 12:45 p.m. walk-in& nbsp;(at the University Library, HG-01A01) 
12:55 p.m . opening: the organisers introduce the readi ng group, its topic and some guidelines 
1:00 p. m. introduction: dr. Jens Reinke introduces Seven Days i n Heaven by Essay Liu and Yu-Lin Wang
1:25 p.m. window to leave (for anyone with other commitments after the lunc h break)
1:30 p.m. watching the film
3 :00 p.m. open conversation
3:30 p.m. clo sing

Reading group build-up 

During three initial sessions we’ll enter this&n bsp;wide thematic field together. We’ve purpose fully selected light and elementary material for these three&nbs p;sessions, so we can ease into the topic together. Once&nb sp;we’ve laid this foundation, subsequent sessions&n bsp;can have a more refined angle and more complex material.&nbs p;You’re free to join us for any of the sessions that spe ak to you; but do encourage you to join us all along the way. &n bsp;The initial sessions are built up as follows: 
  • Session 1, discussing Leo Tolstoy’s The Death o f Ivan Ilyich with an introduction by prof. dr . Dirk-Martin Grube on 8 Oct ober 2026, 12:45 till 2:00 p.m. 
  • Session 2,&n bsp;discussing Simone de Beauvoir’s A Very Easy Death  ;with an introduction by dr. Annemie Halsema on 12 November 2026, 12:45 till 2:00 p. m. 
  • Session 3, watching Essay Liu’s & Yu-Lin Wang’s Seven Days in Heaven with an introduction by dr. Jens Reinke on 10 December 2026, 12:45 till 3:30 p.m. 
At the end of 2026 subsequent sessions will be announced.&n bsp;

The organisers 

This reading group is co-organised by the University Library and researchers dr.&nb sp;Pieter Coppens & dr. Jens Reinke. Coppens is associate professor of Islamic intellectual and cultural history. His rese arch project The Art of Dying in Islamic Traditions (600–1 800) focuses on the relationship between the deathbed& nbsp;in premodern Islam. Reinke is assistant professor  ;of Buddhist studies. His research on contemporary Mahaya Buddhi sm in a global perspective has recently started branching into the&nb sp;last of phase of life in Buddhism. As part of the University Library, programme maker Marc Lamain co-organises this reading g roup. If you want to know more about reading groups at the libra ry, the dedicated webpage< /a> should be of service to you.  END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR