Last Friday, Politico Magazine published an article on Pope Francis, his approval ratings, and ways that our President could learn from His Holiness’ example. Pope Francis was elected to the Papacy on March 13, 2013. Ten months later, we’ve begun to get a more detailed understanding of the man who is now, in some circles, being referred […]
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Announcements, events, and opportunities related to topics of interest to TIF readers are posted here. Additionally you may find round-ups of news items and brief commentary on current events.
For a listing of all of the events announcements, click here.
For a listing of announcements regarding books, click here.
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Engaging the “spiritual but not religious” vote
by The EditorsIn an essay published at the Atlantic online, TIF editor-at-large Steven Barrie-Anthony urges politicians and pundits to pay closer attention to “spiritual but not religious” voters as a potentially influential bloc.
January 24, 2014
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Reverberations in the new year
by The EditorsA new year means new and interesting content for Reverberations, the digital forum on prayer produced in conjunction with the SSRC’s New Directions in the Study of Prayer (NDSP) initiative.
February 7, 2014
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SSRC job opening: Anxieties of democracy
by The EditorsThe Social Science Research Council seeks a Program Officer/Director for its Anxieties of Democracy program.
February 10, 2014
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CFP: Rethinking Political Catholicism
by Wei ZhuOn May 22-23, 2014, John Cabot University, as part of its Summer Institute for Religion and Global Politics will host an international conference entitled “Rethinking Political Catholicism: Empirical and Normative Perspectives.”
February 18, 2014
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Mourning a political saint in Johannesburg
by Rachel C. SchneiderOn December 6, 2013, I, along with millions of South Africans, woke to the news that Nelson Mandela had died. For the next ten days, South Africans would be plunged into a liminal period of commemoration: one marked by scenes of celebration, protest, and jubilation rather than tears and lament. As a white North American, conducting field research for my dissertation, this proved an incredible time of reflection. In what follows, I offer some snapshots of how Mandela was memorialized in Johannesburg and what this reveals about the current religious, political, and racial landscape.
February 19, 2014
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The Charter of Quebec Values in the media: Panic, contempt, and division
by Jean-Michel LandryThe recent media buzz stirred up by a sad story captures well the sense of uneasiness pervading Quebec since the ruling Parti Québécois (PQ) began working to implement a bill known as the “Charter of Quebec Values,” which would ban state employees from wearing “conspicuous religious symbols.”
February 20, 2014
books
Boundaries of Toleration
by The EditorsIn Boundaries of Toleration, editors Alfred Stepan and Charles Taylor ask: "How can people of diverse religious, ethnic, and linguistic allegiances and identities live together without committing violence, inflicting suffering, or oppressing each other?"
February 24, 2014
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Theorizing religion in modern Europe
by The EditorsOn March 7-8, 2014, Harvard University will be hosting an international conference entitled "Theorizing Religion in Modern Europe."
February 26, 2014
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Are academics cloistered?
by Wei ZhuRecently, The New York Times published an article by Nicholas Kristof that lamented how academics, cloistered like medieval monks, have retreated from the public policy arena. Kristof cites a few institutional reasons for this phenomenon, including the decline in humanities funding, but also critiques academics for marginalizing themselves. The column has, unsurprisingly, triggered a debate among academics, policy-makers, and journalists about the merits of Kristof's arguments, as well as potential causes and solutions.
March 5, 2014