Rebecca Moore, emerita professor of religious studies at San Diego State University, will discuss “The Truth About Jonestown, and Other Fictions” as part of the Hawley Foundation Lecture Series on April 5 at 7 p.m. in Sussman Theater.

The mass murder-suicides that occurred in Jonestown, Guyana, in 1978, have generated multiple reports, explanations, and theories about what led members of Peoples Temple to their tragic demise. From alternative histories to sensationalistic documentaries, depictions of the forty-year old tragedy continue to fascinate the American public. Moore examines these competing narratives in order to understand the ways in which stories about Jonestown say more about us than about those who died. This is especially clear when we consider voices that have been erased from popular media accounts: those of women, African Americans, and citizens of Guyana. Learning about the past and the various interpretations of Peoples Temple and Jonestown illuminates the ways in which we engage with new religious movements in the present.

Moore has a specialization in American religions with a focus on new religious movements. She co-edited Peoples Temple and Black Religion in America (Indiana 2004) and authored Understanding Jonestown and Peoples Temple (Praeger 2009; paperback forthcoming 2018). She co-manages the website Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple. Her most recent book is Beyond Brainwashing: Perspectives on Cultic Violence (Cambridge University Press, 2018).

—Charlene Skidmore, Honors Program