Sex and American Christianity: The Religious Divides that Fracture a Nation

Religion and Politics in the Era of Trump: Two Views from the White House

500: The Protestant Reformation and the Modern World

In Search of Our Better Angels:  A Story of America's Civil Religion

Making Sense of the Trump Revolt: Where Do the Two Parties Go from Here?

Religion and Democracy in a New Global Era

What role is religion playing in the 2016 presidential campaign? How is this similar to or different from previous elections? What does the future of religion and politics hold—either in elections or in day-to-day political life?These are a few of the questions that will be discussed in the Center's next Alternative Visions event, taking place in the Old Main Carson Ballroom on the ASU Tempe campus at 4:30pm on Thursday October 20, 2016. The event will feature a panel discussion on religion and politics in the context of the presidential election. Moderated by Center Director Linell Cady, the panel will include Edward E. Curtis IV from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Robert P. Jones from the Public Religion Research Institute, and Laura R. Olson from Clemson University.The Religion and Conflict: Alternative Visions speaker series brings nationally and internationally recognized experts such as Michael Ignatieff, Karen Armstrong, Andrew Bacevich, David Eagleman, and Reza Aslan to campus to address the sources and dynamics of conflict and strategies for its resolution. The series is supported by a grant from philanthropist John Whiteman.

What role is religion playing in the 2016 presidential campaign? How is this similar to or different from previous elections? What does the future of religion and politics hold—either in elections or in day-to-day political life? These are a few of the questions that will be discussed in the Center's next Alternative Visions event, taking place in the Old Main Carson Ballroom on the ASU Tempe campus at 4:30pm on Thursday October 20, 2016. The event will feature a panel discussion on religion and politics in the context of the presidential election. Moderated by Center Director Linell Cady, the panel will include Edward E. Curtis IV from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Robert P. Jones from the Public Religion Research Institute, and Laura R. Olson from Clemson University. The Religion and Conflict: Alternative Visions speaker series brings nationally and internationally recognized experts such as Michael Ignatieff, Karen Armstrong, Andrew Bacevich, David Eagleman, and Reza Aslan to campus to address the sources and dynamics of conflict and strategies for its resolution. The series is supported by a grant from philanthropist John Whiteman.

Presidential Politics and the Making of American Identity

Jacques Berlinerblau

Jacques Berlinerblau a Professor and Director of the Program for Jewish Civilization at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He holds separate doctorates in ancient Near Eastern Languages and Literatures (New York University, 1991), and in Sociology (The New School for Social Research, 1999)."Secularism" is one of the most misunderstood concepts in the entire American political lexicon. For some, it is a synonym for “atheism.” For others, it is a code word for “tyranny.” And for still others, secularism is a political principle centered around separation of church and state. In this lecture, we will trace the complex evolution of the American secular idea, focusing first on its pre-modern roots in Christian political philosophy. Once we understand the intriguingly religious origin of American secularism, we can better appreciate the many ways in which we argue about it today.Berlinerblau has published on a wide variety of issues ranging from the composition of the Hebrew Bible, to the sociology of heresy, to modern Jewish intellectuals, to African-American and Jewish-American relations. His articles on these and other subjects have appeared in Biblica, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Semeia, Biblical Interpretation, Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages, Hebrew Studies, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, and History of Religions.He has published five books, the most recent being How to Be Secular: A Call to Arms for Religious Freedom. His previous works include Thumpin' It: The Use and Abuse of the Bible in Today's Presidential Politics, Heresy in the University: The Black Athena Controversy and the Responsibility of American Intellectuals, and The Secular Bible: Why Nonbelievers Must Take Religion Seriously.

Jacques Berlinerblau a Professor and Director of the Program for Jewish Civilization at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He holds separate doctorates in ancient Near Eastern Languages and Literatures (New York University, 1991), and in Sociology (The New School for Social Research, 1999). "Secularism" is one of the most misunderstood concepts in the entire American political lexicon. For some, it is a synonym for “atheism.” For others, it is a code word for “tyranny.” And for still others, secularism is a political principle centered around separation of church and state. In this lecture, we will trace the complex evolution of the American secular idea, focusing first on its pre-modern roots in Christian political philosophy. Once we understand the intriguingly religious origin of American secularism, we can better appreciate the many ways in which we argue about it today. Berlinerblau has published on a wide variety of issues ranging from the composition of the Hebrew Bible, to the sociology of heresy, to modern Jewish intellectuals, to African-American and Jewish-American relations. His articles on these and other subjects have appeared in Biblica, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Semeia, Biblical Interpretation, Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages, Hebrew Studies, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, and History of Religions. He has published five books, the most recent being How to Be Secular: A Call to Arms for Religious Freedom. His previous works include Thumpin' It: The Use and Abuse of the Bible in Today's Presidential Politics, Heresy in the University: The Black Athena Controversy and the Responsibility of American Intellectuals, and The Secular Bible: Why Nonbelievers Must Take Religion Seriously.

Understanding the (Surprisingly Religious) History of American Secularism - Jacques Berlinerblau

This September will be fifteen years since the attacks of 9/11. How has our view of the relationship between religion, politics and conflict changed since then? Does this change how we remember the attacks, and what they represent in the public consciousness? How we study the wars and conflicts that resulted, and what this means for U.S. policy?How has our view been impacted by lone wolf and organized terrorist attacks in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere, and how does the rise in nativism impact our responses? Have we moved any closer to peace? Can we? Join the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict and the Center on the Future of War for a special panel discussion on these and other questions. Panelists include:     •    John Carlson, associate director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, associate professor of religious studies, and author of From Jeremiad to Jihad: Religion, Violence and America    •    Anand Gopal, journalist and author of No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban and the War Through Afghan Eyes    •    Daniel Rothenberg, co-director of the Center on the Future of War and co-editor of Drone Wars: Transforming Conflict, Law, and Policy    •    Delia Saenz, associate professor of psychology, former Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion, with expertise in intergroup relations and social identity   Linell Cady, director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, will moderate the discussion, asking each of the panelists to respond briefly to a series of questions and leaving plenty of time for the audience to raise questions and enter into the conversation.

This September will be fifteen years since the attacks of 9/11. How has our view of the relationship between religion, politics and conflict changed since then? Does this change how we remember the attacks, and what they represent in the public consciousness? How we study the wars and conflicts that resulted, and what this means for U.S. policy? How has our view been impacted by lone wolf and organized terrorist attacks in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere, and how does the rise in nativism impact our responses? Have we moved any closer to peace? Can we? Join the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict and the Center on the Future of War for a special panel discussion on these and other questions. Panelists include: • John Carlson, associate director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, associate professor of religious studies, and author of From Jeremiad to Jihad: Religion, Violence and America • Anand Gopal, journalist and author of No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban and the War Through Afghan Eyes • Daniel Rothenberg, co-director of the Center on the Future of War and co-editor of Drone Wars: Transforming Conflict, Law, and Policy • Delia Saenz, associate professor of psychology, former Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion, with expertise in intergroup relations and social identity Linell Cady, director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, will moderate the discussion, asking each of the panelists to respond briefly to a series of questions and leaving plenty of time for the audience to raise questions and enter into the conversation.

Religion Conflict and Terrorism in the Public Consciousness

Over the last two decades the human rights discourse has become increasingly hegemonic and become increasingly prominent in the humanitarian sector. Many lead aid agencies have been quite ambivalent about this development. Some have embraced a “rights-based” orientation.  Others, though, have exhibited considerable anxiety, worrying that human rights might corrupt humanitarianism. Why the anxiety? What is at stake? Through a comparative examination of their practices, and the growing role of legal discourse in human rights in contrast with the moral and technical discourse of humanitarianism, Michael Barnett will argue that these two cosmopolitan projects contain very different valences of power and views of global ethics.Barnett is one of the world's leading authorities on humanitarianism – its history, its trajectory, and its relationship with religion. In 2012 he co-edited the book Sacred Aid: Humanitarianism and Moral Imagination which examines the dynamic relationship between the secularization and sanctification of humanitarianism.He is also the author of an extensive history of the subject in Empire of Humanity: A History of Humanitarianism. Barnett's latest book, The Star and the Stripes: A History of the Foreign Policies of American Jews, will be released in March 2016.Michael Barnett is University Professor of International Affairs and Political Science at The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the recipient of many grants and awards for his research. He most recently served as the Harold Stassen Chair of International Relations and professor of political science at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.

Over the last two decades the human rights discourse has become increasingly hegemonic and become increasingly prominent in the humanitarian sector. Many lead aid agencies have been quite ambivalent about this development. Some have embraced a “rights-based” orientation. Others, though, have exhibited considerable anxiety, worrying that human rights might corrupt humanitarianism. Why the anxiety? What is at stake? Through a comparative examination of their practices, and the growing role of legal discourse in human rights in contrast with the moral and technical discourse of humanitarianism, Michael Barnett will argue that these two cosmopolitan projects contain very different valences of power and views of global ethics. Barnett is one of the world's leading authorities on humanitarianism – its history, its trajectory, and its relationship with religion. In 2012 he co-edited the book Sacred Aid: Humanitarianism and Moral Imagination which examines the dynamic relationship between the secularization and sanctification of humanitarianism. He is also the author of an extensive history of the subject in Empire of Humanity: A History of Humanitarianism. Barnett's latest book, The Star and the Stripes: A History of the Foreign Policies of American Jews, will be released in March 2016. Michael Barnett is University Professor of International Affairs and Political Science at The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the recipient of many grants and awards for his research. He most recently served as the Harold Stassen Chair of International Relations and professor of political science at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.

Human Rights and Humanitarianism: Distinctions With or Without a Difference?

Religion and Conflict

"The age of humanitarian intervention to protect civilians is not over, because civilians keep dying."–Michael Ignatieff, 2014Michael Ignatieff is an outspoken public intellectual and a prolific writer on political philosophy, international affairs and conflicts caused by ethnic and religious strife. A politician and a scholar, he has applied his unique perspective to the study of war, religion, ethnicity and politics. His writings have addressed conflict in many countries including Northern Ireland, Rwanda, Kosovo, Serbia, Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Between 2006 and 2011, he served as a Member of Parliament in Canada and then as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition. He is a member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and holds eleven honorary degrees.Ignatieff is the author of seventeen books including Virtual War, winner of the Orwell Prize in 2001, and The Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in an Age of Terror (2005). Other major titles are The Needs of Strangers (1984), Scar Tissue (1992), Isaiah Berlin (1998), The Rights Revolution (2000), Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry (2001), and Fire and Ashes: Success and Failure in Politics (2013). He is the Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and also serves as Centennial Chair at the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs in New York.This lecture is supported by a grant from John Whiteman and is part of the series Religion and Conflict: Alternative Visions at the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict at ASU.

"The age of humanitarian intervention to protect civilians is not over, because civilians keep dying."–Michael Ignatieff, 2014 Michael Ignatieff is an outspoken public intellectual and a prolific writer on political philosophy, international affairs and conflicts caused by ethnic and religious strife. A politician and a scholar, he has applied his unique perspective to the study of war, religion, ethnicity and politics. His writings have addressed conflict in many countries including Northern Ireland, Rwanda, Kosovo, Serbia, Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Between 2006 and 2011, he served as a Member of Parliament in Canada and then as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition. He is a member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and holds eleven honorary degrees. Ignatieff is the author of seventeen books including Virtual War, winner of the Orwell Prize in 2001, and The Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in an Age of Terror (2005). Other major titles are The Needs of Strangers (1984), Scar Tissue (1992), Isaiah Berlin (1998), The Rights Revolution (2000), Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry (2001), and Fire and Ashes: Success and Failure in Politics (2013). He is the Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and also serves as Centennial Chair at the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs in New York. This lecture is supported by a grant from John Whiteman and is part of the series Religion and Conflict: Alternative Visions at the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict at ASU.

What Citizens Owe Strangers: Human Rights, Migrants and Refugees

“For the last four decades, Harvey Cox has been the leading trend spotter in American religion.”—Stephen Prothero, author of Religious LiteracyHarvey Cox's book The Secular City, first published in 1965, is an international bestseller and widely regarded as one of the most influential books of Protestant theology of the last 50 years. His research and teaching interests focus on the interaction of religion, culture, and politics. Until his retirement in 2009 from Harvard University, Cox taught extensively on the intersection between Christianity and Islam and the rise of fundamentalism in both religions. In his book The Future of Faith (2009) he discussed the rise of fundamentalism in the ever-changing world, and why he thinks it will ultimately fail."Harvey Cox is the most important liberal theologian of the last half century."—E.J. Dionne, Jr., author of Souled Out, and columnist for The Washington Post"Harvey Cox has been a voice of both reason and faith in our cynical times."—Deepak Chopra, author of Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment

“For the last four decades, Harvey Cox has been the leading trend spotter in American religion.”—Stephen Prothero, author of Religious Literacy Harvey Cox's book The Secular City, first published in 1965, is an international bestseller and widely regarded as one of the most influential books of Protestant theology of the last 50 years. His research and teaching interests focus on the interaction of religion, culture, and politics. Until his retirement in 2009 from Harvard University, Cox taught extensively on the intersection between Christianity and Islam and the rise of fundamentalism in both religions. In his book The Future of Faith (2009) he discussed the rise of fundamentalism in the ever-changing world, and why he thinks it will ultimately fail. "Harvey Cox is the most important liberal theologian of the last half century."—E.J. Dionne, Jr., author of Souled Out, and columnist for The Washington Post "Harvey Cox has been a voice of both reason and faith in our cynical times."—Deepak Chopra, author of Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment

The Future of Faith

Eric Bain-Selbo is the Department Head of Philosophy and Religion at Western Kentucky University and Co-Founder of the WKU Institute for Citizenship and Social Responsibility. In this presentation, Bain-Selbo highlights the religious dimensions of violence and the role of violence in the religion and culture of the South. Extending into popular culture, he then will make the case that sport—particularly American football—has been a cultural phenomenon in the South that has close ties with religion and violence. Indeed, American football has come to play a central role in the civil religion of the South, fueled in part by its violent nature. Dr. Bain-Selbo will conclude by drawing important lessons from this case study—lessons that will help us to see both religion and sport in a new light.

Sacred Battles: Violence in Southern Sport and Culture

Anand Gopal

Almost 15 years after the beginning of the United States’ War on Terror, many would describe the American global counterinsurgency effort as a bloody quagmire. To try and find peace for people to whom the US government remains committed requires changing strategies based on what has and has not worked. For acclaimed journalist and writer Anand Gopal, those solutions might lie in the most confusing and troublesome anti-terror effort to date: the War in Afghanistan.In his recent book, No Good Men Among the Living, Gopal details the stories of three Afghans caught in the crossfire of US military intervention. By highlighting American triumphs and pitfalls in the early stages of the war, the book reveals the human toll exacted upon the Afghan population as well as the role the US itself played in the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan. In this lecture, Gopal will discuss the time he spent in Afghanistan as well as the current work he is doing more generally on the Middle East, especially the Syrian conflict.Gopal served as the Afghanistan correspondent for both The Wall Street Journal and The Christian Science Monitor.He contributes frequently to Harper’s and Foreign Policy, and also runs a blog on his website (http://anandgopal.com/).

Almost 15 years after the beginning of the United States’ War on Terror, many would describe the American global counterinsurgency effort as a bloody quagmire. To try and find peace for people to whom the US government remains committed requires changing strategies based on what has and has not worked. For acclaimed journalist and writer Anand Gopal, those solutions might lie in the most confusing and troublesome anti-terror effort to date: the War in Afghanistan. In his recent book, No Good Men Among the Living, Gopal details the stories of three Afghans caught in the crossfire of US military intervention. By highlighting American triumphs and pitfalls in the early stages of the war, the book reveals the human toll exacted upon the Afghan population as well as the role the US itself played in the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan. In this lecture, Gopal will discuss the time he spent in Afghanistan as well as the current work he is doing more generally on the Middle East, especially the Syrian conflict. Gopal served as the Afghanistan correspondent for both The Wall Street Journal and The Christian Science Monitor. He contributes frequently to Harper’s and Foreign Policy, and also runs a blog on his website (<a href="http://anandgopal.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://anandgopal.com/</a>).

A Conversation with Anand Gopal

Religious self-identification is on the decline in the United States. Some analysts have cited the cause as being a post-9/11 perception that faith in general is a source of aggression, intolerance, and divisiveness. But how accurate is that view? In her new book, Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence, Karen Armstrong sets out to discover the truth about religion and violence in each of the world’s great traditions, taking us on an astonishing journey from prehistoric times to the present. While many historians have looked at violence in connection with particular religious manifestations (jihad in Islam or Christianity’s Crusades), Armstrong looks at not only Christianity and Islam, but also Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Judaism. Karen Armstrong is one of the most original and inclusive speakers on the role of religion in the modern world. In her public speaking and bestselling books, including A History of God, she examines the differences and profound similarities between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, and their impact on world events. A former Catholic nun who left the convent to study literature, Armstrong is an authority on world faiths, religious fundamentalism, and monotheism. She was a key advisor on Bill Moyers' landmark PBS series on religion, has addressed members of the U.S. Congress, and was one of three scholars to speak at the UN's first ever session on religion.Select Bibliography:Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of ViolenceA History of GodThe Battle for GodThe Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious TraditionsThe Bible: A Biography

Religious self-identification is on the decline in the United States. Some analysts have cited the cause as being a post-9/11 perception that faith in general is a source of aggression, intolerance, and divisiveness. But how accurate is that view? In her new book, Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence, Karen Armstrong sets out to discover the truth about religion and violence in each of the world’s great traditions, taking us on an astonishing journey from prehistoric times to the present. While many historians have looked at violence in connection with particular religious manifestations (jihad in Islam or Christianity’s Crusades), Armstrong looks at not only Christianity and Islam, but also Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Judaism. Karen Armstrong is one of the most original and inclusive speakers on the role of religion in the modern world. In her public speaking and bestselling books, including A History of God, she examines the differences and profound similarities between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, and their impact on world events. A former Catholic nun who left the convent to study literature, Armstrong is an authority on world faiths, religious fundamentalism, and monotheism. She was a key advisor on Bill Moyers' landmark PBS series on religion, has addressed members of the U.S. Congress, and was one of three scholars to speak at the UN's first ever session on religion. Select Bibliography: Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence A History of God The Battle for God The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions The Bible: A Biography

Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence

Marginalized and vulnerable individuals and communities often face multiple forms of violence--economic, cultural, physical, and psychological. How are these groups constructed as the Other, and how are these concepts circulated and naturalized? This panel discussion will examine a range of questions about these topics in order to explore the lived experiences of vulnerable communities:• What is the relationship of historical and economic processes to the creation of marginal communities?• Which cultural values are used to accommodate or reject vulnerable groups? • What strategies, values, and resources do different vulnerable groups summon as social critique, transformative discourse, or to carve out protective spaces?

Marginalized and vulnerable individuals and communities often face multiple forms of violence--economic, cultural, physical, and psychological. How are these groups constructed as the Other, and how are these concepts circulated and naturalized? This panel discussion will examine a range of questions about these topics in order to explore the lived experiences of vulnerable communities: • What is the relationship of historical and economic processes to the creation of marginal communities? • Which cultural values are used to accommodate or reject vulnerable groups? • What strategies, values, and resources do different vulnerable groups summon as social critique, transformative discourse, or to carve out protective spaces?

Violence and Vulnerable Communities

Alice Kang is an assistant professor in the department of political science at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She received her B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Brown University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has published on global trends in women's political representation, women's activism in Africa, and the gendered consequences of oil production.Lecture details:  Gender equality in predominantly Muslim countries has been in a state of intense debate over the past decades. Scholars from a variety of perspectives have examined these debates, with some concluding that women are less likely to gain equality in Muslim-majority countries—particularly poor, agrarian countries—as long as men and women remain attached to what they call Islamic doctrine and traditional values. Others point to the agency of female Muslim artists, political party activists, religious scholars, and workers. Others still differentiate between authoritarian Muslim-majority states that collude with religious and traditional leaders and those that do not. Yet few have examined contestation over women’s rights in Muslim democracies. This study focuses on conflict over women’s rights in the Republic of Niger and finds that how civil society mobilizes and the domestic political context are central to understanding women’s rights debates.

Alice Kang is an assistant professor in the department of political science at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She received her B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Brown University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has published on global trends in women's political representation, women's activism in Africa, and the gendered consequences of oil production. Lecture details: Gender equality in predominantly Muslim countries has been in a state of intense debate over the past decades. Scholars from a variety of perspectives have examined these debates, with some concluding that women are less likely to gain equality in Muslim-majority countries—particularly poor, agrarian countries—as long as men and women remain attached to what they call Islamic doctrine and traditional values. Others point to the agency of female Muslim artists, political party activists, religious scholars, and workers. Others still differentiate between authoritarian Muslim-majority states that collude with religious and traditional leaders and those that do not. Yet few have examined contestation over women’s rights in Muslim democracies. This study focuses on conflict over women’s rights in the Republic of Niger and finds that how civil society mobilizes and the domestic political context are central to understanding women’s rights debates.

Bargaining for Women’s Rights: Activism in an Aspiring Muslim Democracy

The media shapes our perception of the world, oftentimes advancing stereotypes and partial truths. Nowhere does this seem more true than in relation to women in the Muslim world. Join us for a panel discussion with a group of Pakistani women to hear their stories without the filter of the media. The five panelists are all faculty of English Literature at Kinnaird College for Women, which has been educating Pakistani women at its Lahore campus for over a century. They are in residence at ASU this semester as part of a three year exchange program on “Globalizing Research and Teaching of American Literature,” resulting from the partnership of the ASU Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict and Department of English, the Department of English Literature at Kinnaird College, and the US State Department's Embassy in Islamabad. These scholars will discuss their experiences, as well as their perceptions of the U.S., before and after their arrival. The audience will have the opportunity to pose questions to the panel about life in Pakistan. The discussion will be led by Neal Lester, Foundation Professor of English and Director of ASU Project Humanities.The panelists are:Tehreem Arslan Aurakzai, who holds a graduate degree in English Literature from Kinnaird College. She teaches courses in English language, communication, and literature at Kinnaird, including a course on war literature. Her research interests include cultural studies, gender and sexuality, and diaspora studies.Zahra Hamdani is a lecturer in English Literature at Kinnaird, where she also completed her graduate studies. Her research and teaching interests include South Asian diaspora literature, the South Asian novel, cross-cultural and transnational studies, and gender and sexuality studies.Kanza Javed has completed her M.Phil in English Literature from Kinnaird College where she is also a lecturer in the English Department. Her research interests include American drama and poetry, gender and sexuality studies, race and ethnicity studies, and transnational and cross-cultural studies. In addition to her scholarly work, she is also the author of several short stories and a novel.Mahwish Khan has graduate degrees in English Literature from Kinnaird College and Beaconhouse International University. She teaches courses in English Literature at  Kinnaird and at Lahore School of Economics. Her research interests include diaspora and transnational studies in American and South Asian literatures, literatures of migration, race and ethnicity studies, and gender and sexuality studies.Aisha Usman has graduate degrees in English Language Teaching and English Literature from Kinnaird College for Women and the University of the Punjab. She is a member of the faculty in English Literature at Kinnaird College. Her specialties and interests include American literature, gender and sexuality studies, and transnational and cross-cultural approaches to US and South Asian literature.

The media shapes our perception of the world, oftentimes advancing stereotypes and partial truths. Nowhere does this seem more true than in relation to women in the Muslim world. Join us for a panel discussion with a group of Pakistani women to hear their stories without the filter of the media. The five panelists are all faculty of English Literature at Kinnaird College for Women, which has been educating Pakistani women at its Lahore campus for over a century. They are in residence at ASU this semester as part of a three year exchange program on “Globalizing Research and Teaching of American Literature,” resulting from the partnership of the ASU Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict and Department of English, the Department of English Literature at Kinnaird College, and the US State Department's Embassy in Islamabad. These scholars will discuss their experiences, as well as their perceptions of the U.S., before and after their arrival. The audience will have the opportunity to pose questions to the panel about life in Pakistan. The discussion will be led by Neal Lester, Foundation Professor of English and Director of ASU Project Humanities. The panelists are: Tehreem Arslan Aurakzai, who holds a graduate degree in English Literature from Kinnaird College. She teaches courses in English language, communication, and literature at Kinnaird, including a course on war literature. Her research interests include cultural studies, gender and sexuality, and diaspora studies. Zahra Hamdani is a lecturer in English Literature at Kinnaird, where she also completed her graduate studies. Her research and teaching interests include South Asian diaspora literature, the South Asian novel, cross-cultural and transnational studies, and gender and sexuality studies. Kanza Javed has completed her M.Phil in English Literature from Kinnaird College where she is also a lecturer in the English Department. Her research interests include American drama and poetry, gender and sexuality studies, race and ethnicity studies, and transnational and cross-cultural studies. In addition to her scholarly work, she is also the author of several short stories and a novel. Mahwish Khan has graduate degrees in English Literature from Kinnaird College and Beaconhouse International University. She teaches courses in English Literature at Kinnaird and at Lahore School of Economics. Her research interests include diaspora and transnational studies in American and South Asian literatures, literatures of migration, race and ethnicity studies, and gender and sexuality studies. Aisha Usman has graduate degrees in English Language Teaching and English Literature from Kinnaird College for Women and the University of the Punjab. She is a member of the faculty in English Literature at Kinnaird College. Her specialties and interests include American literature, gender and sexuality studies, and transnational and cross-cultural approaches to US and South Asian literature.

Beyond the Hijab_ Pakistani Women’s Perspectives

How does an accomplished neuroscientist and bestselling writer of fiction view issues of religion and conflict?  Dr. David Eagleman, author of "Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain" and "SUM" presents a fresh take on these topics based on his award-winning research into the workings of the human mind. In a style all his own, Eagleman weaves science, philosophy, and art to address the existential questions that have galvanized thinkers for centuries.Eagleman directs the Laboratory for Perception and Action at the Baylor College of Medicine, where he also directs the Initiative on Neuroscience and Law. He is best known for his work on time perception, synesthesia, brain plasticity, and neurolaw. He is a Guggenheim Fellow, a winner of the McGovern Award for Excellence in Biomedical Communication, a Next Generation Texas Fellow, Vice-Chair on the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Neuroscience &amp; Behavior, a research fellow in the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, Chief Scientific Advisor for the Mind Science Foundation, and a board member of The Long Now Foundation. He was named Science Educator of the Year by the Society for Neuroscience, and was featured as a Brightest Idea Guy on the cover of Italy's Style magazine.  He has been profiled on the Colbert Report, NOVA Science Now, the New Yorker, and CNN's Next List. He appears regularly on radio and television to discuss literature and science, and he is the writer and host of the upcoming 6-hour PBS series, The Brain.Selected publications:&gt; Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain (2012)&gt; SUM: 40 Tales of the Afterlives (2010)This lecture is supported by a grant from John Whiteman and is part of the Religion and Conflict: Alternative Visions lecture series. The series brings to ASU nationally and internationally recognized writers, scholars, and policy experts concerned with the dynamics of religion and conflict and strategies for resolution.

How does an accomplished neuroscientist and bestselling writer of fiction view issues of religion and conflict? Dr. David Eagleman, author of "Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain" and "SUM" presents a fresh take on these topics based on his award-winning research into the workings of the human mind. In a style all his own, Eagleman weaves science, philosophy, and art to address the existential questions that have galvanized thinkers for centuries. Eagleman directs the Laboratory for Perception and Action at the Baylor College of Medicine, where he also directs the Initiative on Neuroscience and Law. He is best known for his work on time perception, synesthesia, brain plasticity, and neurolaw. He is a Guggenheim Fellow, a winner of the McGovern Award for Excellence in Biomedical Communication, a Next Generation Texas Fellow, Vice-Chair on the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Neuroscience &amp; Behavior, a research fellow in the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, Chief Scientific Advisor for the Mind Science Foundation, and a board member of The Long Now Foundation. He was named Science Educator of the Year by the Society for Neuroscience, and was featured as a Brightest Idea Guy on the cover of Italy's Style magazine. He has been profiled on the Colbert Report, NOVA Science Now, the New Yorker, and CNN's Next List. He appears regularly on radio and television to discuss literature and science, and he is the writer and host of the upcoming 6-hour PBS series, The Brain. Selected publications: &gt; Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain (2012) &gt; SUM: 40 Tales of the Afterlives (2010) This lecture is supported by a grant from John Whiteman and is part of the Religion and Conflict: Alternative Visions lecture series. The series brings to ASU nationally and internationally recognized writers, scholars, and policy experts concerned with the dynamics of religion and conflict and strategies for resolution.

Neuroscience and the Religious Imagination

Stephen Graham Jones

Stephen Graham Jones, Professor of English at the University of Colorado at Boulder, will be reading from his novel Ledfeather (2008). It tells the story of an Indian Agent whose decisions have impacted the lives of generations of Blackfeet Indians in present-day Montana.Jones is the author of sixteen novels, including The Fast Red Road (2000), All the Beautiful Sinners (2005), and The Bird is Gone (2005), and of six short story collections. His publications from 2014 include Floating Boy and the Girl Who Couldn’t Fly (Chi-Teen, with Paul Tremblay), After the People Lights Have Gone Off (Dark House), Not for Nothing (Dzanc), and The Gospel of Z (Samhain).Jones received an NEH Fellowship in Literature, a Writers League of Texas Fellowship, the Texas Institute of Letters Award for Fiction, and the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction. Besides fiction writing, his areas of interest include horror, science fiction, fantasy, film, comic books, pop culture, technology, and American Indian Studies.  Jones is currently at work on a werewolf novel, a crime novel, and a comic book.

Stephen Graham Jones, Professor of English at the University of Colorado at Boulder, will be reading from his novel Ledfeather (2008). It tells the story of an Indian Agent whose decisions have impacted the lives of generations of Blackfeet Indians in present-day Montana. Jones is the author of sixteen novels, including The Fast Red Road (2000), All the Beautiful Sinners (2005), and The Bird is Gone (2005), and of six short story collections. His publications from 2014 include Floating Boy and the Girl Who Couldn’t Fly (Chi-Teen, with Paul Tremblay), After the People Lights Have Gone Off (Dark House), Not for Nothing (Dzanc), and The Gospel of Z (Samhain). Jones received an NEH Fellowship in Literature, a Writers League of Texas Fellowship, the Texas Institute of Letters Award for Fiction, and the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction. Besides fiction writing, his areas of interest include horror, science fiction, fantasy, film, comic books, pop culture, technology, and American Indian Studies. Jones is currently at work on a werewolf novel, a crime novel, and a comic book.

Ledfeather/ A Reading and Discussion with author Stephen Graham Jones

Matthias Riedl is an associate professor of history and holds the privately supported Chair of Comparative Religious Studies at Central European University (Budapest, Hungary). Before coming to CEU Budapest, he taught at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, and Duke University. His research interest is the comparative history of religion, with a focus on the relation of religion and politics.Lecture Details: The analytical category of "apocalyptic violence" has been frequently applied in recent studies of terrorism, sectarian violence, and revolutionary action. As the psychologist Robert J. Lifton put it: "Apocalyptic violence denotes the readiness to cause enormous destruction in the service of spiritual purification. A world must cease to exist in order to make space for a better one." However, as Riedl will discuss, the category is by no means self-explanatory, since apocalyptic literature is traditionally deterministic and dissuades the readers from taking action. A historical overview will demonstrate that revolutionary and violent forms of apocalypticism emerge only in early modernity, when mystical and humanist influences undermine the determinist creed. Riedl therefore argues that apocalyptic violence, despite its references to an ancient symbolic tradition, is a decidedly modern phenomenon.

Matthias Riedl is an associate professor of history and holds the privately supported Chair of Comparative Religious Studies at Central European University (Budapest, Hungary). Before coming to CEU Budapest, he taught at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, and Duke University. His research interest is the comparative history of religion, with a focus on the relation of religion and politics. Lecture Details: The analytical category of "apocalyptic violence" has been frequently applied in recent studies of terrorism, sectarian violence, and revolutionary action. As the psychologist Robert J. Lifton put it: "Apocalyptic violence denotes the readiness to cause enormous destruction in the service of spiritual purification. A world must cease to exist in order to make space for a better one." However, as Riedl will discuss, the category is by no means self-explanatory, since apocalyptic literature is traditionally deterministic and dissuades the readers from taking action. A historical overview will demonstrate that revolutionary and violent forms of apocalypticism emerge only in early modernity, when mystical and humanist influences undermine the determinist creed. Riedl therefore argues that apocalyptic violence, despite its references to an ancient symbolic tradition, is a decidedly modern phenomenon.

Apocalyptic Violence: The Desire for Universal Destruction and Its Historical Origins

Professor Scott Atran is Research Director in Anthropology at France’s National Center for Scientific Research, Institut Jean Nicod-Ecole Normale Supérieure, in Paris.  He also holds positions as Presidential Scholar, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York; Adjunct Professor Psychology and Public Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; and Director of Research, ARTIS Research and Risk Modeling. He received his B.A. and Ph.D. in anthropology from Columbia University (and an M.A. in social relations from Johns Hopkins).His research interests include the cognitive and evolutionary psychology of religion, and the limits of rational choice in political and cultural conflict. He has repeatedly briefed NATO and members of the U.S. Congress and the National Security Council staff at the White House on the Devoted Actor versus the Rational Actor in Managing World Conflict, on the Comparative Anatomy and Evolution of Global Network Terrorism, and on Pathways to and from Violent Extremism. He has been engaged in conflict negotiations in the Middle East, and in the establishment of indigenously managed forest reserves for Native American peoples.Selected publications:Talking to the Enemy: Faith, Brotherhood, and the (Un)Making of Terrorists (HarperCollins, 2010)In Gods We Trust: The Evolutionary Landscape of Religion (Oxford University Press, 2002)

Professor Scott Atran is Research Director in Anthropology at France’s National Center for Scientific Research, Institut Jean Nicod-Ecole Normale Supérieure, in Paris. He also holds positions as Presidential Scholar, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York; Adjunct Professor Psychology and Public Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; and Director of Research, ARTIS Research and Risk Modeling. He received his B.A. and Ph.D. in anthropology from Columbia University (and an M.A. in social relations from Johns Hopkins). His research interests include the cognitive and evolutionary psychology of religion, and the limits of rational choice in political and cultural conflict. He has repeatedly briefed NATO and members of the U.S. Congress and the National Security Council staff at the White House on the Devoted Actor versus the Rational Actor in Managing World Conflict, on the Comparative Anatomy and Evolution of Global Network Terrorism, and on Pathways to and from Violent Extremism. He has been engaged in conflict negotiations in the Middle East, and in the establishment of indigenously managed forest reserves for Native American peoples. Selected publications: Talking to the Enemy: Faith, Brotherhood, and the (Un)Making of Terrorists (HarperCollins, 2010) In Gods We Trust: The Evolutionary Landscape of Religion (Oxford University Press, 2002)

Talking to the Enemy: The Making and Unmaking of Terrorists

Measuring Religion: Sacred Values in Human Conflict

Evelyn Bush is an associate professor of sociology at Fordham University. She received her Ph.D. in sociology from Cornell University, and her research focuses on religion, globalization, gender, and human rights. She is currently a core collaborator on the "Religious NGOs at the United Nations" research project, which is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and housed at the University of Kent. She is also currently engaged in research on religious freedom and U.S. foreign policy, and the influence of institutional classification on the gendered application of religious freedom and human rights principles.Lecture Details: Drawing from a 3-year study of religious participation and influence at the United Nations, this presentation will cover a variety of challenges that researchers confront in collecting and interpreting transnational data on religious NGOs.  First, it examines differences among religious and secular NGOs in terms of the external influences that bear upon NGO decision-making. For example, it will show how a focus on the broadly-framed distinction between the “religious” and the “secular” masks important differences between NGOs that are formally affiliated with religious institutions and those that are not. Unaffiliated religious NGOs share more in common with secular NGOs than with their affiliated religious counterparts, with the latter being relatively shielded from market pressures that typically influence NGOs decision-making. Second, the presentation will examine how, due to cross-national variation in religion-state relations, religious NGOs present with unique “GONGO” problems that not only have implications for interpreting the kinds of power being exercised through religious NGOs, but also make it difficult to collect reliable international data on religious mobilization and influence.

Evelyn Bush is an associate professor of sociology at Fordham University. She received her Ph.D. in sociology from Cornell University, and her research focuses on religion, globalization, gender, and human rights. She is currently a core collaborator on the "Religious NGOs at the United Nations" research project, which is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and housed at the University of Kent. She is also currently engaged in research on religious freedom and U.S. foreign policy, and the influence of institutional classification on the gendered application of religious freedom and human rights principles. Lecture Details: Drawing from a 3-year study of religious participation and influence at the United Nations, this presentation will cover a variety of challenges that researchers confront in collecting and interpreting transnational data on religious NGOs. First, it examines differences among religious and secular NGOs in terms of the external influences that bear upon NGO decision-making. For example, it will show how a focus on the broadly-framed distinction between the “religious” and the “secular” masks important differences between NGOs that are formally affiliated with religious institutions and those that are not. Unaffiliated religious NGOs share more in common with secular NGOs than with their affiliated religious counterparts, with the latter being relatively shielded from market pressures that typically influence NGOs decision-making. Second, the presentation will examine how, due to cross-national variation in religion-state relations, religious NGOs present with unique “GONGO” problems that not only have implications for interpreting the kinds of power being exercised through religious NGOs, but also make it difficult to collect reliable international data on religious mobilization and influence.

Measuring Religion: Political and Economic Influences on Religious NGOs

American power around the world is facing new challenges, and our government is often paralyzed by gridlock. How did we get here, and how do we fix it? Andrew Bacevich, a former Army officer, bestselling author, and professor of international relations and history at Boston University, will address these questions in his free public lecture “The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism.” The lecture, part of the Center's Alternative Visions lecture series, will take place Thursday, October 23, at 1:30 pm in Old Main’s Carson Ballroom.Time has called him, “one of the most provocative—as in thought-provoking—national security writers out there today.” Bacevich’s bestselling books have offered critical insights into America’s military industrial complex, decades of foreign policy, and the way ordinary citizens relate to the military. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, he received his doctorate in American diplomatic history from Princeton University. Before joining the faculty of Boston University, he taught at West Point and Johns Hopkins. In 2004, Bacevich was a Berlin Prize Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin.  He has also held fellowships at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and the Council on Foreign Relations. He is a regular contributor to The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Financial Times, among many other news outlets.His books include: Breach of Trust: How Americans Failed Their Soldiers and Their CountryThe Limits of Power: The End of American ExceptionalismThe New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by WarWashington Rules: America’s Path to Permanent War

American power around the world is facing new challenges, and our government is often paralyzed by gridlock. How did we get here, and how do we fix it? Andrew Bacevich, a former Army officer, bestselling author, and professor of international relations and history at Boston University, will address these questions in his free public lecture “The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism.” The lecture, part of the Center's Alternative Visions lecture series, will take place Thursday, October 23, at 1:30 pm in Old Main’s Carson Ballroom. Time has called him, “one of the most provocative—as in thought-provoking—national security writers out there today.” Bacevich’s bestselling books have offered critical insights into America’s military industrial complex, decades of foreign policy, and the way ordinary citizens relate to the military. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, he received his doctorate in American diplomatic history from Princeton University. Before joining the faculty of Boston University, he taught at West Point and Johns Hopkins. In 2004, Bacevich was a Berlin Prize Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin. He has also held fellowships at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and the Council on Foreign Relations. He is a regular contributor to The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Financial Times, among many other news outlets. His books include: Breach of Trust: How Americans Failed Their Soldiers and Their Country The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War Washington Rules: America’s Path to Permanent War

The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism

Samuel Moyn is the James Bryce Professor of European Legal History in the Department of History at the University of Columbia. He works primarily on modern European intellectual history–with special interests in France and Germany, political and legal thought, historical and critical theory, and Jewish studies–and on the history of human rights. He is the co-director of the New York area Consortium for Intellectual and Cultural History as well as the Editor of the journal Humanity, and has editorial positions at several other publications. His most recent book is Human Rights and the Uses of History (2014). In addition to co-editing several books he has authored: The Last Utopia: Human Rights in History (2012), Origins of the Other: Emmanuel Levinas Between Revelation and Ethics (2005), and A Holocaust Controversy: The Treblinka Affair in Postwar France (2005).

Rethinking the History of Human Rights

Zillah Eisenstein has been Professor of Politics at Ithaca College in New York for the last 35 years and is currently a Distinguished Scholar in Residence. She at present writes regularly for Al Jazeera.com and FeministWire.com. Throughout her career her books have tracked the rise of neoliberalism both within the U.S. and across the globe. She has documented the demise of liberal democracy and scrutinized the growth of imperial and militarist globalization. She has also critically written about the attack on affirmative action in the U.S., the masculinist bias of law, the crisis of breast cancer and AIDS, the racism of patriarchy and the patriarchal structuring of race, the new nationalisms, corporatist multiculturalism, and the newest gendered and classed formations of the planet. In addition to her recent publication, The Audacity of Races and Genders: A Personal and Global Story of the Obama Campaign (2009, Zed Press, London; Palgrave, U.S.), her most current books include: Sexual Decoys, Gender, Race and War in Imperial Democracy (London, Zed Press; New York, Palgrave, 2007); Against Empire, ibid.; Hatreds, Racialised, and Sexualized Conflicts in the 21st Century (Routledge, 1996); Global Obscenities: Patriarchy, Capitalism and the Lure of Cyberfantasy (NYU PRESS, 1996); and Manmade Breast Cancers (Cornell Univ. Press, 2001).

Zillah Eisenstein has been Professor of Politics at Ithaca College in New York for the last 35 years and is currently a Distinguished Scholar in Residence. She at present writes regularly for Al <a href="http://Jazeera.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jazeera.com</a> and <a href="http://FeministWire.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">FeministWire.com</a>. Throughout her career her books have tracked the rise of neoliberalism both within the U.S. and across the globe. She has documented the demise of liberal democracy and scrutinized the growth of imperial and militarist globalization. She has also critically written about the attack on affirmative action in the U.S., the masculinist bias of law, the crisis of breast cancer and AIDS, the racism of patriarchy and the patriarchal structuring of race, the new nationalisms, corporatist multiculturalism, and the newest gendered and classed formations of the planet. In addition to her recent publication, The Audacity of Races and Genders: A Personal and Global Story of the Obama Campaign (2009, Zed Press, London; Palgrave, U.S.), her most current books include: Sexual Decoys, Gender, Race and War in Imperial Democracy (London, Zed Press; New York, Palgrave, 2007); Against Empire, ibid.; Hatreds, Racialised, and Sexualized Conflicts in the 21st Century (Routledge, 1996); Global Obscenities: Patriarchy, Capitalism and the Lure of Cyberfantasy (NYU PRESS, 1996); and Manmade Breast Cancers (Cornell Univ. Press, 2001).

There is no Peace with Patriarchy(ies)

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