For more than 30 years, Father Edward Jackman, Order of Preachers (O.P.), and the Jackman Foundation have generously supported the groundbreaking book series McGill-Queen鈥檚 Studies in the History of Religion. The series was founded by Father Jackman and by George Rawlyk, Professor of History at Queen鈥檚 University, in the late 1980s.
Since the unexpected passing of Professor Rawlyk in 1995, Professor Donald Akenson of the Queen鈥檚 University History Department has been at the helm. The book series now stretches to more than 100 volumes and represents the best work of Canadian and international scholars in the field of modern religious history.
Recently, McGill-Queen鈥檚 University Press (MQUP) hosted a lecture and reception to honour the History of Religion Series and to recognize the generous support of the Jackman Foundation. Queen鈥檚 senior leaders including Tom Harris, Sc鈥75, Vice-Principal (Advancement), Benoit-Antoine Bacon, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) and Professor Rebecca Manley, Chair of the Department of History attended the event to pay tribute to Father Jackman.
鈥淚t was a privilege to take part in this celebration of McGill-Queen鈥檚 remarkable History of Religion series, and such an honor to meet Father Jackman鈥, says Provost Benoit-Antoine Bacon. 鈥淭he brilliant lecture delivered by Professor Richard English emphasized that we should always resist the temptation to reduce the complexity of the world to single causes, especially with respect to religious issues. This stresses the importance of thoughtful scholarly research in those fields as a crucial counterweight to demagogy and populism. McGill and Queen鈥檚 are proud of the work of MQUP in this area and wish to thank Father Jackman for his generous support.鈥
Richard English, Fellow of British Academy and the Pro-Vice Chancellor and Professor of Politics at Queen鈥檚 University of Belfast, traveled from Northern Ireland to pay tribute to Father Jackman. His research focuses on the history of terrorism with an emphasis on Ireland and Britain. Professor English鈥檚 lecture was entitled 鈥淕od and Terror: An Unholy History."
Following the lecture, Professor Akenson presented Father Jackman with a framed letter from the Governor General of Canada, David Johnston. Joining Father Jackman for the event were his brother and sister-in-law, Dr. Frederick and Sara Jackman.
鈥淔ather Jackman and the Jackman Foundation have been the backbone of the History of Religion series, and we are grateful for their continued support and guidance,鈥 said Professor Akenson. "It's wonderful to have such talented authors inspire academic conversations through their contributions to the McGill-Queen鈥檚 University Series in the History of Religion.鈥
McGill-Queen鈥檚 University Press is a joint enterprise of two of Canada鈥檚 leading universities. It is a significant part of these institutions鈥 support for research and scholarship in the humanities and social sciences. Over the years, MQUP has published more than 3,000 scholarly books, creating fresh interpretations of the world while maintaining the highest standards of scholarship and of quality book production.
