Dr. Douglas Allen
Professor of Philosophy and
Chairperson of Philosophy
Department of Philosophy

Dr. Douglas Allen completes his 35th year this year at the University of Maine. He has been an outstanding scholar, teacher, and servant to the community, and is at the peak of his career, recently giving keynote addresses to conferences in India, and serving as President of the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy.

It would take too long to list his many books and articles on such topics as the phenomenology of religion, religion theorist Mircea Eliade, religion and politics in South Asia, and Gandhi. Suffice it to note that his scholarship has earned him both the University of Maine Research and Creative Achievement Award (1998) and the Distinguished Maine Professor Award (2000). The latter acknowledges his excellence not only as a scholar but also as a teacher. Through the years he has been a popular professor for such courses as Hinduism, Buddhism, Views of Self East and West, Theories of Myth, The Philosophy of Karl Marx, Twentieth Century Marxism, and the Philosophy of Gandhi.

He has been a tireless servant beyond the classroom, as the faculty advisor of the Maine Peace Action Committee, which he helped found in 1974, and which is possibly the longest continuous campus peace group in the country. He is also the coordinator of Socialist and Marxist Studies, including the public luncheon lecture series that has offered about 20 events annually for over a decade.

He has been Chair of the Education committee of the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine since its founding 20 years ago. And he has held numerous positions of responsibility including Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees, and twice Chairperson of the Philosophy Department.

Anyone who has worked with Doug will know him as a man of generosity, with a relentless and often deadpan sense of humor. At an early meeting as Representative to the Board of Trustees, Doug, a self-proclaimed Marxist, introduced himself as the representative of the Congoleum Corporation. There were a couple of people who snickered, but one Trustee who missed the joke came up to him at the break to talk business. Doug’s sense of humor has enabled him and those who have worked with him to get through conflicts without rifts, and to make the work load a little lighter.

Thank you, Doug and congratulations on your 35 years of excellent service to the University of Maine.