The Halle Institute for Global Learning has invited anthropologist William Sax to deliver two lectures on ritual healing and the "Divine Kingdom" this April as a part of the Halle Distinguished Fellows program.

Sax is professor and head of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Heidelberg in Germany.

• "Anthropology Meets Psychiatry: The Cultural Epidemiology of Ritual Healing" is Wednesday, April 2. Sax discusses the idea of combining epidemiological and anthropological approaches to study ritual healing.

He presents evidence that shows ritual healing can be effective in the treatment of mental disorders, and he attempts to address how and the two approaches should be combined to further research on ritual healing.

• "Karna's Realm: A Very Little Kingdom in the Himalayas," is Thursday, April 3. Based on his forthcoming book, this lecture focuses on defining and analyzing the "Divine Kingdom." Sax illustrates how to understand the kingdom and its importance to the local people using detailed ethnography of a valley.

Both lectures, which are free and open to the public, will be held at 4 p.m. in 102 White Hall.

For more information, visit The Halle Institute.