The immensity of Anne Monius’ contributions — as a scholar and teacher — to those of us who study South Asia, religious studies, and bhakti is clear from the outpourings of appreciation that quickly appeared after her unexpected death in August 2019.

https://hds.harvard.edu/news/remembering-anne-monius-distinguished-scholar-and-dedicated-mentor#

http://rsn.aarweb.org/progeny-tribute-anne-monius

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2019/9/3/anne-monius-obit/

Anne was a key supporter and collaborator in the RBSN.  She was literally at the table one November evening in Baltimore, during the American Academy of Religion conference in 2013, when we first proposed our vision to create this group.  After inspiring us with her enthusiastic response to the idea, she stunned us with a generous offer to host the first academic workshop at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard in the following spring.

Since that time, Anne’s generosity and wisdom has guided us as the RBSN has developed. We are honored to have been able to work closely with her to bring our co-edited book Communities of Devotion in India to fruition. While we celebrated its publication, we intensely wish that she had been able to see it, and indeed, that she were with us still. The RBSN would not be what it is today without the support and encouragement of many people, but especially of Anne Monius.

Gil and Jon