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Role of religion in politics is conference topic, March 31-April 1
Posted March 23, 2006; 09:45 p.m.
American and European scholars will gather for a conference titled
"The Political God of Our Times: Civic Religion and Democratic Polities
in Europe and the United States," which is scheduled for Friday and
Saturday, March 31-April 1, in 104 Computer Science Building.
The conference will focus on perceptions that the United States and
most European countries are moving in different directions in terms of
the role of religion in political and social life. In several panel
discussions, scholars from the United States, Germany, France, Spain
and Italy will explore the role of civic religion in democratic
countries.
The March 31 session will begin at 1:30 p.m. and conclude with a 6 p.m.
keynote address titled "Forgetting Jerusalem: The Tradition of European
Nihilism" by Jean Bethke Elshtain, a University of Chicago political
philosopher. On April 1, discussions will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30
p.m.
Details on the discussion topics and speakers are available on the Web site of the conference's sponsor, the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions.