J. Lorand Matory Photo credit: Jared Lazarus

The Voodoo religion in Haiti and other faiths with African roots will be the topic of conversation in a live online "Office Hours" webcast with Duke professor J. Lorand Matory, Friday, Feb. 12, beginning at noon on Duke's Ustream channel.

To ask a question of Matory in advance or during the session, send an email to live@duke.edu, post a comment on the Duke University Live Ustream page on Facebook or tweet with the tag #dukelive.

Matory studies religions and cultures brought to the Americas from Africa, which include Voodoo, Candomblé spirituality in Brazil, the Santeria faith in Cuba, the Gullah people in South Carolina and Georgia, and the Yoruba culture from West Africa. He is the chair of Duke's Department of African and African American Studies. His most recent book is "Black Atlantic Religion: Tradition, Transnationalism and Matriarchy in the Afro-Brazilian Candomblé."

Office hours at a university are the times when professors leave their doors open for people to wander in and converse, whether it be about current events, the meaning of life or developments in their fields. Duke's Office Hours series aims to bring the expansiveness and sparkle of these conversations to anyone with an Internet connection and an interest in the ideas bubbling up at Duke. To date, topics have ranged from the war in Afghanistan to the New Testament, World Cup soccer and the state of Muslim Americans since 9/11. You are invited to join the conversation.