BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam//NONSGML v1.0//EN NAME:Reading Group: End-of-Life & Religion #1 METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20261008T124500 DTEND:20261008T140000 DTSTAMP:20261008T124500 UID:reading-group-end-of-life-reli@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573 CREATED:20260826T202622 LOCATION: SUMMARY:Reading Group: End-of-Life & Religion #1 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 first s ession centres on Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich. For a rudimentary introduction to this reading material, yo u can scroll down to the book cover. Prof. dr. Dirk-Martin Grube will offer an introduction to the novella and its relation to our to pic. Co-organiser Marc Lamain will guide the ensuing conversatio n. The schedule is as follows: 

12:45 p. m. walk-in (at the University Library, HG-01A01)&n bsp;
12:55 p.m. opening: the organisers introduce the reading group, its topic and some guidelines  
1:00 p.m. introduction: pro f. dr. Dirk-Martin Grube introduces The Death of Ivan Ilyich  by Leo Tolstoy 
1:25 p.m. wi ndow to leave (for anyone with other commitments after the lunch break) 
1:30 p.m. open  conversation 
1:55 p.m. summarising and wrap-up 
2:00 p.m. closing < /p>

Reading group build-up 

Duri ng three initial sessions we’ll enter this  wide thematic field together. We’ve purpo sefully selected light and elementary material for these three&n bsp;sessions, so we can ease into the topic together. Once& nbsp;we’ve laid this foundation, subsequent sessions  can have a more refined angle and more complex material.&n bsp;You’re free to join us for any of the sessions that s peak to you; but do encourage you to join us all along the way.   

The initial sessions are built up as follows:& nbsp;

At the end of 2026 subsequent sessions will be announced. 

The organisers 

This reading group is co-organised by the University Library  ;and researchers dr. Pieter Coppens & dr. Jens Reinke.&nbs p;Coppens is associate professor of Islamic intellectual and cultural history. His research project The Art of Dying in Isla mic Traditions (600–1800) focuses on the relationship bet ween the deathbed in premodern Islam. Reinke is a ssistant professor of Buddhist studies. His research on con temporary Mahaya Buddhism in a global perspective has recently starte d branching into the last of phase of life in Buddhism. 

As part of the University Library, programme maker Marc Lamain co -organises this reading group. If you want to know more abo ut reading groups at the library, the dedicated webpage should be of service to you.&n bsp;

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 first session centres on Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich. For a rudimentary introduction to this reading mat erial, you can scroll down to the book cover. Prof. dr. Dirk-Mar tin Grube will offer an introduction to the novella and its rela tion to our topic. Co-organiser Marc Lamain will guide the ensui ng conversation. The schedule is as follows: 12:45& nbsp;p.m. walk-in (at the University Library, HG-0 1A01) 
12:55 p.m. opening: the org anisers introduce the reading group, its topic and some gui delines 
1:00 p.m. introduction:&n bsp;prof. dr. Dirk-Martin Grube introduces The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy 
1:25 p.m.& nbsp;window to leave (for anyone with other commitments aft er the lunch break) 
1:30 p.m. ope n conversation 
1:55 p.m. summaris ing and wrap-up 
2:00 p.m. closing  

Reading group build-up 

Duri ng three initial sessions we’ll enter this  wide thematic field together. We’ve purpo sefully selected light and elementary material for these three&n bsp;sessions, so we can ease into the topic together. Once& nbsp;we’ve laid this foundation, subsequent sessions  can have a more refined angle and more complex material.&n bsp;You’re free to join us for any of the sessions that s peak to you; but do encourage you to join us all along the way.   The initial sessions are built up as follows: 
  • Session 1, discussing Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich with an introduction by prof. dr. Dirk-Martin Grube on 8 O ctober 2026, 12:45 till 2:00 p.m. 
  • Session 2,  discussing Simone de Beauvoir’s A Very Easy Death&nb sp;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 a n 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.  

    The organisers 

    This reading grou p is co-organised by the University Library and researchers dr.& nbsp;Piet er Coppens & dr. Jens Reinke. Coppens is associat e professor of Islamic intellectual and cultural history. His re search project The Art of Dying in Islamic Traditions (600� �1800) focuses on the relationship between the deathbe d in premodern Islam. Reinke is assistant professor&nb sp;of Buddhist studies. His research on contemporary Mahaya Budd hism in a global perspective has recently started branching into the& nbsp;last of phase of life in Buddhism. As part of the Universit y Library, programme maker Marc Lamain co-organises this reading group. If you want to know more about reading groups at the lib rary, the dedicated webpag e should be of service to you.  END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR