Marshall Scholarship will help Michigan State graduate open talks on religion

Contact: Ron Fisher, MSU Honors College: (517) 355-2326, fisherr1@msu.edu; Kristin K. Anderson, University Relations: (517) 353-8819, ander284@msu.edu; or Shanti Zaid: (517) 432-8669, zaidshan@msu.edu

Editor’s note: A high resolution photo of Zaid is available electronically from Pam Jahnke at (517) 432-0304 or jahnkep@msu.edu

Nov. 21, 2006

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University alum Shanti A. Zaid wants to open doors and get the dialogues rolling on a topic many people fear to tread upon – religion.

As a 2007 Marshall Scholar, Zaid will have the opportunity to increase his knowledge and understanding of religions and African diaspora, or the movements and culture of African people throughout the world.

Zaid wants to pursue his doctorate, teach, research and publish scholarly materials to enhance people’s understanding of Africa-based religious expressions in the Americas and mend conflicts between religious communities.

The first in his family to earn a university degree, Zaid plans to pursue master’s degrees in social anthropology, and in migration and diaspora studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.

“These degrees will help me pursue my doctorate and become an academic professional,” he said. “I will have access to world class libraries and resources, but more importantly, the scholarship will help me to fulfill my responsibilities to the future as well as to the past.”

“Religion has always been a part of my life. My African-American father and European-American mother spent much of their lives traveling around the world searching for religious truths in Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Native American religious teachings,” he said. Their pursuits formed the foundation for his academic passion for religion.

Zaid gave up his full-ride scholarship at the University of Colorado his junior year to join MSU’s African Atlantic Research Team as a research associate. Jualynne E. Dodson, professor of sociology at MSU, created the team while a faculty member at Colorado.

“The program Dodson directs has had a profound effect on me,” he said. “The research team is a mentoring collective, and a community of students and faculty committed to academic excellence and holistic development, especially for students of color.”

Zaid said that, like MSU, he is a champion for international education opportunities, and has made five trips to Cuba to study and research spiritual practices that integrated Yoruba, Kikongo and indigenous Cuban religious ideas and rituals.

“While in graduate school I will continue to study eastern Cuban religious leaders’ interactions between humans and spirits, and how knowledge gained from such interactions affects perceived boundaries between religious practices,” he said.

Zaid presented his research on Cuba at forums in Michigan and in Washington, D.C., and traveled in Canada, Mexico and South Africa to study religious cultures. He graduated from MSU in 2006 with a degree in history and was a member of the Honors College.

He has received many awards and scholarships and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa while at MSU. He also has published poetry and recorded two CDs of hip-hop music.

A native of Boulder, Colo., Zaid is among 40 college graduates and upper-level undergraduates throughout the United States to receive the scholarship for two years of study in the United Kingdom. The scholarship covers university fees, costs of living expenses, research and travel grants, and fares to and from the United States.

The Marshall Scholarships were founded by an Act of Parliament in 1953 and commemorate the humane ideals of the European Recovery Program, or Marshall Plan. They are funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and administered by the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission in the United Kingdom. The selection process in the United States is administered by the British Council on behalf of the British Embassy in Washington.

For more on the Marshall scholarships visit http://www.marshallscholarship.org.

###

Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 14 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.