In 2019, Liane Carlson wrote about a dying field (hers, the philosophy of religion). Its death arrived more rapidly than most others. She observed that the collective nature of all scholarship (“There is no intellectual work that does not take place as part of a dialogue with the living or dead”) sits awkwardly alongside the […]
The rule of law never dies
“Law, religion, and state building” features essays by leading scholars and policy analysts who consider the entanglements of law, religion, and state building across times and places—and the consequences of these entanglements for global politics and social justice.
Asian American religions: Everywhere, all at once
“Asian American religions: Everywhere, all at once” invites readers to the multiverse of religious experiences in Asian America. This set of essays, co-curated by The Immanent Frame and the Asian Pacific American Religions Research Initiative (APARRI), offers a glimpse of the vastness and complexity of Asian American religions.
Out there: Perspectives on the study of Black metaphysical religion
This forum offers “Black metaphysical religion” as an analytical historical frame to bring into view the widespread and varied occult interests and mystical orientations of Black communities in the twentieth century.
Latest posts
Revisited: Jesus, religion, and revolution in the South African elections
Ten years ago, I examined the entanglement of religion and politics in South Africa ahead of the 2014 national election. Today, the political landscape has shifted, yet many struggles persist. Thirty years…
Revisited: Making budgets moral again
Ruth Braunstein revisits her 2019 essay on efforts to reframe the budget as a moral concern. Her work sheds light on an active, if fragmented, network of faith leaders who reject the…
Thinking about the discourse of “religion and violence”
I have learned much from this fascinating collection of short essays. Here we find on-the-ground engagements with violence in Gaza, Christian nationalism, mass shooters in the United States, tensions between Christians and…
Mughal neopaganism and the romance of history
In the last five decades, South Asian countries have experienced a notable increase in religious violence and discrimination. The most well-known cases involve the Muslims in India, the Ahmadiyya in Pakistan, the…
Rabid for a peace
“To have or not have sex,” writes R. Marie Griffith, “is a vital symbolic and discursive arena for [enacting] the relationship between body and soul.” For incels or involuntary celibate men, who mark their sexlessness…
When mercy doesn’t season justice: Rights versus humanitarian relief
Contemporary calls for relief, aid, or charity span numerous domains of care and increasingly exist in the absence of a rights-based model of justice, not as a complement to it. This troubling…