WCED Conference. “Religion, Identity, and Politics.”

Convened by Anna Grzymala-Busse, WCEE/WCED director

Convener: Anna Grzymala-Busse, WCEE/WCED director. 

The goal of the conference is to re-examine and to rethink the mutual constitution of religion and politics, and to stimulate a lively discussion of several issues:

• how religion differs from ethnic, linguistic, or national identities
• how doctrine matters: in the growth of some religions, in its impact on public policy and political institutions, and in its trans-national impact
• how states regulate religion, and the difference between favoring some religions and privileging others
• how organized religion affects electoral cleavages, state institutions, and redistributive policies (and vice versa), and
• the rise of “fundamentalisms”—when, where, and why do they arise?

The conference will consist both of panels, where faculty members present short, provocative papers, and a poster session, where graduate students will present their research in progress.

Sponsors: WCED, Department of Political Science