Past Events Sponsored by the Center for the Study of Religion

2007-2008, 2006-2007, 2005-2006, 2004-2005, 2003-2004, 2002-2003, 2001-2002, 2000-2001, 1999-2000, 1998-1999
See our Public Events calendar for upcoming events in this academic year.

2007-2008

9/26/07 “Born to Believe: God, Science, and the Origin of Ordinary and Extraordinary Beliefs,” a lecture by Andrew Newberg, University of Pennsylvania, in the series Princeton Lectures in Religion and Cognition: 4:30 PM, 101 McCormick Hall.

10/9/07 “Religion in Reform-Era China: A Political Economic Approach,” a lecture by Fenggang Yang, Purdue University, in the series Crossroads of Religion and Politics, 4:30 PM, Roberston Bowl, 016.

10/10/07 “Evolution and Design: At the Crossroads of Science and Religion,” a lecture by Ken Miller, Brown University, in the series Princeton Lectures in Religion and Science: 8:00 PM, McCosh 50.

10/16/07 "Religion and the Media" a roundtable with Terry Mattingly, getreligion.org; Jeff Sharlet, therevealer.org; and Carolyn Rouse, Princeton University: 4:30 PM.

11/9/07-11/10/07 "Mormonism and American Politics" a conference organized by Melissa Proctor, Harvard Divinity School. Times TBA, Bowen Hall Auditorium.

11/12/07 “The Impact of Faith in Public Service,” a lecture by Congressman Frank Wolf (R-Va.) in the series, Princeton Lectures in Religion and Ethics, 4:30 PM, Robertson Hall Bowl 001. Download a press release here.

11/19/07 "The Protocols of the Elders of Greenwich: The Secret American Plot to Rule the World," Walter Mead, Council on Foreign Relations, 4:30 PM, Roberston Hall Bowl 016.

2/4/08 “Imaginary Geographies: Buddhism and the Japanese World Map,” Max Moerman, Barnard College, 4:30 PM, 1879 Hall Room 137. Buddhist Studies Workshop.

2/5/08 “Speaking of Faith,” Krista Tippett, American Public Media, 7:00 PM, McCosh Hall Room 50. Parking and transportation information available here. This event is free and open to the public. No ticket is required. Download a flyer here. Download the press release here.

2/7/08 “The Role of Matruationally Natural Cognition in Science and Religion,” Robert N. McCauley, Emory University, 4:30 PM, Jones Hall Room 100. Princeton Lectures in Religion and Cognition. Download the press release here.

2/8/08 “Evangelicals and the 2008 Primaries,” a roundtable with Michael Hout, University of California at Berkeley; Melani McAlister, George Washington University, and Robin H. Rogers-Dillon, Queens College, City University of New York, 4:30 PM, East Pyne 010. Download the press release here. Download a poster here.

2/21-23/08 "Mysticism, Reform, and the Formation of Modernity" a conference organized by Sara S. Poor and Nigel Smith, Princeton University, East Pyne 010. View the schedule here. Download a press release here.

2/26/08 “Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back,” Frank Schaeffer, 4:30 PM, Roberston Hall Bowl 016. Download a poster here. Download a press release here.

2/28/07 “Vatican II: A Sociological Analysis of Religious Change” a symposium with Michele Dillon, University of New Hampshire; Michael Hout, University of California at Berkeley; James McCartin, Seton Hall University; and Melissa J. Wilde, University of Pennsylvania, 3:00 PM, Whitman College Theater. Download a press release here.

3/3/08 “Informants as Observers: Reflections on New Types of Fieldwork in Madagascar,” Maurice Bloch, London School of Economics, 4:30 PM, 219 Aaron Burr Hall.

3/4/08 “Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite,” D. Michael Lindsay, Rice University, in the series Crossroads of Religion and Politics, 4:30 PM, Roberston Hall Bowl 016. Download a press release here.

03/7/08-03/9/08 “Art History, Buddhist Studies, Tibet: New Perspectives from the Tibet Site Seminar,” A conference with a keynote lecture by Deborah Klimburg-Salter, University of Vienna and papers by graduate-student participants in the 2007 Tibet Site Seminar, with responses from Janet Gyatso, Harvard Divinity School; Marylin Rhie, Smith College; and E. Gene Smith, Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center.  Friday sessions begin at 4:30 PM; Saturday & Sunday sessions begin at 9:00 AM. All events held in 101 McCormick Hall. The conference is free but registration is required. Download a poster here. For more details see http://www.princeton.edu/~tibetsem/program-conference.htm

3/25/08 “Bringing Together Intuition and Law: Linguistic Relevance and Moral Creativity in Theravada Buddhist Ethics,” Charles Hallisey, Harvard Divinity School, 4:30 PM, 1879 Hall Room 137. Buddhist Studies Workshop.

3/28-29/08 “Landscapes of the Saints: Hagiography and Land in the Near East and Europe, ca. 500-900,” a colloquium organized by Angela B. Gleason and Richard Payne, History.

4/5/08 “Coming Together: Taverns, Leisure, and Public Gathering in the Middle Ages,” a graduate student conference organized by Chris Kurpiewski and Jamie Kreiner, History.

4/7/08 “Magic, Science, and Religion: A Re-Appraisal and the Self-Reflexive Approach,” Thomas Hauschild, Wissenschaftskolleg, Berlin, Aaron Burr Hall, 4:30 PM.

4/9/08 “Dominican Tolkiens: Diasporic Nerdiness and the Quest for the Divine,” a dialogue between Junot Diaz, Al Raboteau and Emily Raboteau organized by  Nadia Ellis and Adrienne Brown.

4/10-11/08 "American Religious Liberalism: Retrospect and Prospect" a conference organized by Leigh Schmidt, Princeton University, Bobst Hall 105 (Thursday, beginning at 1:00 PM) & Chancellor Green 103 (Friday, beginning at 9:00 AM) A complete schedule and conference website is available here.

4/10-11/08 “Princeton University Graduate Conference in Political Theory” organized by Daniel Lee, Politics & University Center for Human Values.

04/11/08 “Filling the Missing Link: Simha Bhiksu and Zongmi’s Construction of an Indian Transmission Line for Chan Buddhism,” Peter Gregory, Smith College, 4:30 PM, 1879 Hall Room 137. Buddhist Studies Workshop.

4/17/08 "Muslim Philanthropy in Transition: Prospects and Challenges," Ebrahim Moosa, Duke University, in the series The Doll Family Lectures on Religion and Money. 4:30 PM, Betts Auditorium N101. Download a flyer here. Download a poster here.

4/17/08 “War Magic in Tibetan Buddhism,” Bryan Cuevas, Florida State University and the Institute for Advanced Study, 4:30 PM, 1879 Hall Room 137. Buddhist Studies Workshop.

4/18/08 “Campaign ‘♂8: Race, Gender, and Religion,” a rountable discussion with Robert P. George, Eddie S. Glaude, Barbara Savage, Frank Schaeffer, Sean Wilentz, Tera Hunter, and Imani Perry.

4/22/08 “Muslim Americans: Enriching or Threatening American Democracy?” Amaney Jamal, Princeton University, in the series Crossroads of Religion and Politics, 4:30 PM, Roberston Hall Bowl 016. Download press release here.

4/28/08 “Patronage and Pure Land Paintings in Korea, 13th-14th Centuries,” Youngsook Pak, School of Oriental and African Studies and Yale University, 4:30 PM, 202 Jones Hall. Buddhist Studies Workshop.

4/29/08 “2008 Inter-Ivy Sociology Symposium” organized by Carol Ann MacGregor, Sociology.

4/30/08 “From Liberation to Mutual Fund: Images of Christ in Black Politics,” Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Princeton University, in the series Crossroads of Religion and Politics, 4:30 PM, Roberston Hall Bowl 016.

5/1-2/08 “Muslims and Media: Representation, Discourse, and Participation,” a workshop organized by Juliane Hammer, Near Eastern Studies.

5/8/08 “Reconsidering Philoxenos of Mabbug,” a symposium organized by David Michelson, Center for the Study of Religion and co-sponsored by Center of Theological Inquiry. Download a schedule here.

2006-2007

September 26
“The Role of Faith Based Initiatives in Community Development" a public lecture by Rev. Herbert H. Lusk II, Pastor, Greater Exodus Baptist Church, Philadelphia, Pa. & founder, People for People, Inc. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series. 4:30 p.m., Bowl 016 Robertson Hall.

September 29
“Intelligent Design: Revolutionary Science or Reactionary Religion?" a public lecture by Ronald Numbers, Hilldale Professor of the History of Science and Medicine Department of Medical History and Bioethics, University of Wisconsin. Princeton Lectures in Religion and History. 4:30 p.m., 10 Guyot Hall. More Information.

October 16
“Backlash: Are Evangelicals Disillusioned with Politics?" a public lecture by Laurie Goodstein, National Religion Correspondent, The New York Times, Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series. 4:30 p.m., Bowl 016 Robertson Hall.

October 19-20
"The Seven-Hundredth Anniversary of the Expulsion of the Jews from France in 1306" a colloquium organized by William Chester Jordan, Professor of History and Director of the Program in Medieval Studies. Begins Oct. 19, 4:30 p.m., 105 Bobst Hall.

October 20
“Neuroscience and Religion" a symposium featuring Richard Davidson, University of Wisconsin; Margaret Kemeny, University of California, San Francisco; Wayne Proudfoot, Columbia University; Clifford Saron, University of California, Davis; and Jonathan Cohen and Leigh Schmidt, Princeton University. Cognition and Religion Initiative. 3:00-6:00 p.m., McCormick Auditorium.

February 10-11
“Reconsidering the Concept of ‘Revolutionary Monotheism’ in the Ancient Near East" a conference organized by Froma Zeitlin, Charles Ewing Professor of Greek Language and Literature, Professor of Comparative Literature, and Beate Pongratz-Leisten, Lecturer in Near Eastern Studies.

February 13
"Are Democrats Really 'Anti-Religious'?" a public lecture by Richard Parker, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series. 4:30 p.m., Bowl 016 Robertson Hall.

February 13
"The 13th Dalai Lama’s Nation Building Project and the Bonpo Community” a public lecture by Tsering Shakya, University of British Columbia, Buddhist Studies Workshop. 4:30 pm, 202 Jones Hall.

February 23
Lecture in Japanese: “Nichiren no mandara: omamori to honzon [The Mandala of Nichiren (1222-1282) as Amulet and Object of Worship]” a public lecture by Takashi Nakao, Rissho University, Tokyo, Buddhist Studies Workshop. 4:30 pm, 1879 Hall, Rm. 137.

March 6
"God and Caesar in America" a public lecture by Senator Gary Hart, Scholar in Residence, The Wirth Chair in Environmental and Community Development Policy, University of Colorado at Denver, Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series. 4:30 p.m., Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall.

March 8
"Zen Writes, Zen Rites, Zen Rights: Traditionalism v. Criticism” a public lecture by Steven Heine, Florida International University, Buddhist Studies Workshop. 4:30 pm, 202 Jones Hall.

March 9
"Religious Freedom and the Constitution" a public symposium with Christopher Eisgruber, Princeton University, Marci A. Hamilton, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Erik Michael Mazur, Bucknell University, and Winnifred F. Sullivan, University at Buffalo Law School. 3:30-6:30 p.m., McCormick Hall 101. Press release about the symposium.

March 10-11
"Breaking Apart the Monolith: The Many Ways of Being Muslim (A Conference Exploring the Dynamics of Muslim Identity in Today’s World)" a conference organized by Harvey Stark, Princeton University. The Friend Center Convocation Room (Rm. 113). Dowload program here.

March 12
"The Shōmyōji wall painting of Maitreya’s welcoming descent and its restoration: Maitreya devotion in esoteric Buddhism" a public lecture by Shunshō Manabe, Shikoku University, Buddhist Studies Workshop. 4:30 p.m. Jones 202.

March 27
“Ethical Issues and Dilemmas in the Formulation of National Security Policy" a public lecture by Daniel Kurtzer, Lecturer and S. Daniel Abraham Professor in Middle Eastern Policy Studies, Princeton University and former U. S. Ambassador to Israel and to Egypt. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series. 4:30 p.m., Bowl 016 Robertson Hall.

March 29-30
“The Good Samaritan in the Age of Globalization: Religion, International Migration and the World Economy” a conference organized by Patricia Fernández-Kelly, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Eric Gregory, Assistant Professor of Religion, and Margarita Mooney, Research Fellow, Office of Population Research, Lecturer in Sociology. 101 McCormick and Chancellor Green Rotunda. For more information see www.princeton.edu/~goodsam Download Press Release Here. Download Conference Dossier Here.

March 30
"Ryōō Dōkaku了翁道覚 (1630-1707), Ascetic Philanthropist and Marginally Literate Bibliophile?  The Creation of Japan’s First Public Library” a public lecture by Paul Groner, University of Virginia, Buddhist Studies Workshop. 4:30 pm, 1879 Hall, Room 137.

April 9, 2007
Event Cancelled: "The Holy Vote: The Politics of Faith in America" a public lecture by Ray Suarez. We regret to announce that this event has been cancelled.

April 11
"Buddhist Laymen and Tea during the Tang Dynasty” a public lecture by James Benn, McMaster University, Buddhist Studies Workshop. 4:30 pm, 202 Jones Hall.

April 12-13
"Religion in the English Enlightenment" a conference organized by Sophie Gee, Assistant Professor of English, John E. Annan Bicentennial Preceptor. Chancellor Green 103. Download the poster here. Download Schedule Here.

April 14-15
"Re-presenting Emptiness: Zen and Art in Medieval Japan” a symposium co-sponsored with the P.Y. and Kinmay W. Tang Center for East Asian Art, Buddhist Studies Workshop. McCosh 10, Arthur M. Woods ’34 Auditorium. Download Schedule Here.

April 14-15
"Dorushe Graduate Student Conference on Syriac Studies ” a symposium co-sponsored with the Department of Near Eastern Studies and organized by David Michelson, Acting Associate Director, Center for the Study of Religion. Conference information here.

April 17
"A Life of Significance: The Integration of Faith and Character into the World of Work," Peter M. Ochs ’65, Chairman of the Board, The Fieldstone Corporation, Princeton Lectures in Religion and Ethics. 8:00 p.m., Chancellor Green Rotunda. Download Poster Here. Download Press Release Here.

April 19
"Baptized in Blood:  Moral Reflections on the American Civil War" a public lecture by Harry S. Stout, Jonathan Edwards Professor of American Religious History, Yale University. Princeton Lectures in Religion and History. 4:30 p.m., 101 McCormick Hall. Download Poster Here. Download Press Release Here.

April 24
"Philanthropy...It's Definitely Not for Wimps!: Reflections on Faith and Finance," Dick DeVos, President, The Windquest Group, Doll Family Lectures on Religion and Money. 8:00 p.m., Chancellor Green Rotunda. Download Program Here. Download Press Release Here.

April 24
“Unorthodox Icons, Heretical Rituals: Constructing the Perfect Body in Medieval Japan” a public lecture by Lucia Dolce, School of Oriental and African Studies, The University of London. Buddhist Studies Workshop. 4:30 pm, 202 Jones Hall.

April 30
Lecture in Chinese "On the Three Stages Sect (Sanjiejiao) in Chinese Buddhist Art" a public lecture by Zhang Zong, Institute for the Study of World Religions, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (Beijing), Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Chicago. Buddhist Studies Workshop. 4:30 pm, 1879 Hall, Lounge.

May 11
"What is Prayer?" a symposium featuring Sister Mary Margaret Funk, Our Lady of Grace Monastery; David D. Hall, Harvard Divinity School; Carol Zaleski, Smith College; and Albert Raboteau, Princeton University. Cognition and Religion Initiative 3:00-6:00 p.m. Frist Campus Center Multi-Purpose Rooms (B Floor/Basement)

2005-2006

October 7
“The Invention of World Religions: Or, How European Universalism Was Preserved in the Language of Pluralism,” a symposium on the work of Tomoko Masuzawa. With comments by Sarah Coakley, Harvard Divinity School, and Richard King, Vanderbilt University. 3:00 pm, McCosh 50.

October 9
“Jewish Magical Texts from the Cairo Geniza,” a conference organized by Martha Himmelfarb, Professor of Religion, and Peter Schaefer, Ronald O. Perelman Professor of Judaic Studies and Professor of Religion. 9:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Bobst Hall, 83 Prospect Ave.

October 13
"The Catholic Church in the Pontificate of Benedict XVI: A Global View." Public lecture by George Weigel, Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington. Princeton Lectures in Religion and Global Culture. 7:30 p.m., McCosh 50. View the lecture in RealMedia.

October 24
“Evangelicals and American Politics: Assessing the Past, Scouting the Future.” Public Lecture by Michael Cromartie, Vice President, Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, and Director of the Evangelical Studies Project. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series. 4:30 p.m., Bowl 016 Robertson Hall.

November 10
“The Religious Right Controls America and Other Myths From the Campaign.” Public Lecture by Hanna Rosin, Staff Writer, The Washington Post. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series. 4:30 p.m., Bowl 016 Robertson Hall.

November 10
“Zizek! The Movie.” 7:30 p.m., James Stewart Theater, 185 Nassau Street. Sponsored by the Religion Department.

November 17
“The Ignorance of Chicken* (*or, Who Believes What Today).” Public Lecture by Slavoj Zizek, University of Ljubljana, and Cornel West, Princeton University. 7:30 p.m., McCosh 50. View the lecture in RealMedia. (Turn your volume all the way up.)

February 8
“The New Alliance: the Moral Imperative Meets Realpolitic.” Public Lecture by Robert A. Seiple, Founder, Institute for Global Engagement, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom and Former President of World Vision, Inc. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series. 4:30 p.m., Bowl 016 Robertson Hall.

February 20
"How to Think with Zen Koans" by Robert Sharf, University of California, Berkeley. Buddhist Studies Workshop. 4:30 p.m., 1879 Hall, Room 137.

February 22
"Buddhism and Western Science in the Eighteenth Century: An Early Japanese Controversy over Mount Sumeru" by NISHIMURA Ryo, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Lecture will be given in Japanese. Sponsored by the Buddhist Studies Workshop and the East Asian Studies Program. 4:30 p.m., Jones Hall 202.

March 2
"Why People Perform Rituals." Public Lecture by Pascal Boyer, Henry Luce Professor of Individual and Collective Memory, Washington University in St. Louis. Princeton Lectures in Cognition and Religion. 4:30 p.m., Friend 101. View the lecture in RealMedia.

March 6
"How 'Otherworldly' American Fundamentalists Became Political." Public Lecture by George Marsden, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame. Princeton Lectures in Religion and History. 4:30 p.m., McCosh 50. View the lecture in RealMedia.

March 6
"Religion and Science in Early Modern Tibet: Reading Medical Painting" by Janet Gyatso, Harvard Divinity School. Buddhist Studies Workshop. 4:30 p.m., 1879 Hall, Room 137.

March 10-11
"The Relation Between Religion and Postcolonial Criticism," a conference organized by Simon Gikandi, Professor of English, and Sadia Abbas, Lecturer in English, University of Michigan. 010 East Pyne.

March 28
"Is it Possible to Enjoy Personal Liberty without Collective Equality?" by Alain Badiou, Université de Paris-VIII (Vincennes-St. Denis) and Collège International de Philosophie, Paris, and Cornel West, Princeton. 4:30 p.m., McCosh 50. View the lecture in RealMedia.

April 4
“Faith-Based Organizations and the Public Good” by Amy L. Sherman, Senior Fellow and Director of the Faith in Communities Initiative, Sagamore Institute for Policy Research and Senior Fellow, International Justice Mission. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series. 4:30 p.m., Bowl 016 Robertson Hall.

April 10
"Japanese Buddhism During the Tokugawa Period: A New Perspective" by William Bodiford, University of California, Los Angeles. Buddhist Studies Workshop. 4:30 p.m., 1879 Hall, Room 137.

April 13
"Ethics, Freedom, and the Death of Rationalism: What Cognitive Science Tells Us About the Culture Wars" by George Lakoff, Professor of Linguistics, University of California, Berkeley, co-sponsored with the University Center for Human Values, and the Psychology Dept., 4:30 p.m., Robertson Hall Dodds Auditorium. Princeton Lectures in Cognition and Religion. View the lecture in RealMedia.

April 18
"Some Issues in Korean Buddhist Art" by Marylin Rhie, Smith College. Sponsored by the Buddhist Studies Workshop and the Tang Center for East Asian Art. 4:30 p.m., McCormick 106.

April 19
"Regional Schools in Later Tibetan Art" by Marylin Rhie, Smith College. Sponsored by the Buddhist Studies Workshop and the Tang Center for East Asian Art. 4:30 p.m., McCormick 106.

April 19
"Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing: Faith and Sexuality in America" by Rev. Debra Haffner, director of the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing. 4:30 p.m., McCosh 46. Co-sponsored by the Women's Center.

April 20
"Can God Answer Back?" Public Lecture by Nicholas Wolterstorff, Noah Porter Professor of Philosophical Theology, Emeritus, Yale Divinity School. Princeton Lectures in Cognition and Religion. 4:30 p.m., Friend 101.

April 26
“The Pentecostal Aesthetic and the Spirit of Modern Consumerism” by Birgit Meyer, Professor of Religion and Society in the Research Centre Religion and Society, University of Amsterdam. Princeton Lectures in Religion and Global Culture. 4:30 p.m., McCosh 46. View the lecture in RealMedia.

April 27
“Mobilizing Faith for Immigrant Rights” by Pierrette Hondagneu Sotelo, University of Southern California. Co-sponsored with the Center for Migration and Development. 4:30 p.m., 165 Wallace Hall.

May 4
"Should Religious Groups Ever Be Exempt From Civil Rights Laws?" by Martha Minow, Jeremiah Smith, Jr. Professor of Law, Harvard Law School, co-sponsored with the University Center for Human Values. Princeton Lectures in Religion and Ethics. 4:30 p.m., Robertson Hall Dodds Auditorium. View the lecture in RealMedia.

May 4
“Religious Variations in the Social Capital of Buddhist and Christian Taiwanese Immigrants” by Carolyn Chen, Northwestern University, co-sponsored with the Center for Migration and Development. 4:30 p.m., 165 Wallace Hall.

May 8
“Bringing the Dharma to the People: Xiangguang Nuns and the Adult Education Classes on Buddhism in Taiwan” by Chun-fang Yu, Columbia University. Buddhist Studies Workshop. 4:30 p.m., 1879 Hall, Room 137

2004-2005

October 19, 2004
“Culture Wars, Faith and the Race for the Presidency: Stories From a Reporter's Notebook.” Public Lecture by Barbara Bradley Hagerty, Religion Correspondent, National Public Radio. Opening lecture of the Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series, co-sponsored with the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

October 21-22, 2004
“A Legacy of Provocation: Augustine Reconsidered.” Conference organized by Eric Gregory, Assistant Professor of Religion.

November 1, 2004
“Big Writing: The Monumental Sutras of Shandong Province and the Question of Scale in the Visual Arts.” Lecture by Robert E. Harrist, Jr., Columbia University. Buddhist Studies Workshop.

November 12-13, 2004
“The Discovery of Paganism in Early Modern Europe.” Workshop organized by Anthony Grafton, Department of History, and Jonathan Sheehan, Indiana University.

November 18, 2004
“Black Churches and Post-Civil Rights Movement Activism: Shifting Ground, Unsure Footing.” Public Lecture by R. Drew Smith, Director of The Public Influences of African-American Churches Project and Scholar-in-Residence at the Leadership Center at Morehouse College. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

December 9, 2004
“Memory, Salvation, and Perdition: The Importance and Ambiguity of Memory.” Public Lecture by Miroslav Volf, Henry B. Wright Professor of Systematic Theology, Yale Divinity School. Sponsored by the Reynolds Lecture Series.

December 13, 2004
“State 'Regulation' of Religion and the Art of Bonsai: Black Denominations in the New Deal Era.” Public Lecture by Omar McRoberts, University of Chicago. Co-sponsored by the Program in African American Studies.

February 9, 2005
“Religion and Civil Society: Common Ground for America and the Developing World?” Lecture by Don Eberly, founder of the National Fatherhood Initiative and the Civil Society Project, aide to two presidents, and co-author of seven books. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

March 10 - CANCELED - RESCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 24, 2005
“Evangelicals and American Politics: Assessing the Past, Scouting the Future.” Public Lecture by Michael Cromartie, Vice President, Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, and Director of the Evangelical Studies Project. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

April 4, 2005
Between Heaven and Earth: The Religious Worlds People Make and the Scholars Who Study Them
Author-Meets-Critics Event with Robert Orsi, Charles Warren Professor of the History of Religion in America, Harvard Divinity School.
Respondents: Princeton University Professors João Biehl, Carol Greenhouse and Leigh Schmidt, 4:30 p.m., Frist 302.

April 13, 2005
“Forgotten Histories of Post-Zionism: Universalism, Judaism, and the Messianic,” Second Annual Edward Said ’57 Memorial Lecture, by Judith Butler, Maxine Elliot Professor in the Departments of Rhetoric and Comparative Literature, University of California, Berkeley. Presented by the Princeton Committee on Palestine and co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Religion and others. 7 p.m., McCosh 50.

April 22-24, 2005
Seventh Annual Buddhist Studies Graduate Student Conference.

April 25, 2005
“Facts and Fictions of the Separation of Church and State:There is No Wall.” Public Lecture by John Witte, Jonas Robitscher Professor of Law and Ethics, Director of the Law and Religion Program, and Director of the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Religion, Emory University School of Law. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

April 28, 2005
“Ecclesiastical Sex Scandals: The Lack of a Contemporary Theology of Desire.” Public Lecture by Sarah Coakley, Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. Professor of Divinity, Harvard Divinity School. Reynolds Lecture Series.
4:30 p.m., McCosh 50

May 5, 2005
“Religion and Sexuality: Truth and Power in Everyday Life.” Public Lecture by Dawne Moon, University of California, Berkeley.
4:30 p.m., Frist 302.

2003-2004

October 24-25, 2003
"Saint-Denis Revisited: Suger, Art, and Architecture." Conference sponsored by the Index of Christian Art. Featured speakers included William Clark, Pamela Blum, Adam Cohen, Jacqueline Frank, Jean French, Paula Gerson, Judith Golden, Genevra Kornbluth, Andreas Speer, Thomas Waldman, and Grover Zinn. Supported by the Council of the Humanities, the Department of Art and Archaeology, Center for the Study of Religion and the Program in Medieval Art, Princeton University. For full program details, see http://ica.princeton.edu/

October 24-25, 2003
"Reflections on the Study of Religion: A Conference in Honor of John F. Wilson." Sponsored by the Princeton University Department of Religion. How did religious studies come to be seen as a humanistic discipline to be pursued in the secular colleges and universities? What roles should history, philosophy, theology, gender studies, and comparative inquiry play in it? What impact has it had and should it have on other disciplines within the academy and on public life outside the academy?

November 18, 2003
"'East of the Sun (West of the Moon)': Islam, the Ahmadis, and African America." Lecture by Moustafa Bayoumi, Associate Professor of English at Brooklyn College. Sponsored by the Department of English, supported by CSR and the Program in African American Studies.

November 19, 2003
"Contra 9/11: A Journalist Reflects on Religious Peacemaking as a News Story." Lecture by Gustav Niebuhr, Scholar in Residence, Center for the Study of Religion, Princeton University.Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

February 9, 2004
"One Electorate Under God?" Public Lecture by E.J. Dionne Jr., columnist at The Washington Post, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and editor of Sacred Places, Civic Purposes: Should Government Help Faith-Based Charity? And What’s God Got To Do with the American Experiment? Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

February 16, 2004
"Depression, Suicide, and Despair: Mental Illness, Moral Experience, and our Medicalized Times." Arthur Kleinman, Harvard University. Discussant: Elaine Pagels, Princeton University. First in the CSR Colloquium Series, "Life Technologies: Medicine, Culture, and Ethics," directed by João Biehl, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Princeton University.

March 3, 2004
“Visual Representation of Buddhist Social Engagement: A Case Study of the Compassionate Relief (Ciji) Movement in Taiwan." Zhiru Ng, Pomona College. Buddhist Studies Workshop.

March 4, 2004
"The Operation as Political Form: Transplantation, Sterilization, Cataract Removal, and Transgender Surgery in the Constitution of As-If Modernity." Lawrence Cohen, University of California, Berkeley. Discussant: Carl Elliott, Institute for Advanced Study. CSR Colloquium Series, "Life Technologies: Medicine, Culture, and Ethics."

March 10, 2004
“Approaches to the Problem of Buddho-Taoist Interactions,” Victor H. Mair, University of Pennsylvania. Buddhist Studies Workshop.

March 11, 2004
"The Reinvention of Death: Debates on Brain Death and Human Organ Transplantation." Margaret Lock, McGill University, and Robert Truog, Harvard Medical School. Discussant: Caroline Walker Bynum, Institute for Advanced Study
CSR Colloquium Series, "Life Technologies: Medicine, Culture, and Ethics."

March 25, 2004
Reinhold Niebuhr and Public Theology. Symposium with Robin W. Lovin, Carey Maguire University Professor of Ethics, Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, and Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity School. Reynolds Lecture Series.

March 29, 2004
"Genetic Citizens on the Biological Horizon." Rayna Rapp, New York University. Discussant: Shirley Tilghman, Princeton University. CSR Colloquium Series, "Life Technologies: Medicine, Culture, and Ethics."

April 1, 2004
"International Judgment." Oliver O'Donovan, University of Oxford.

April 2, 2004
“Icons, Incantations, and Insight: The Zhunti Cult in Later Huayan Buddhism,” Robert M. Gimello, Harvard University. Buddhist Studies Workshop.

April 12, 2004
"Genetics Knowledge Park: An Interdisciplinary Experiment." Marilyn Strathern, Cambridge University. Discussant: Peter Singer, Princeton University. CSR Colloquium Series, "Life Technologies: Medicine, Culture, and Ethics."

April 12, 2004
“Constructing the Pure Land: Architecture in Dunhuang Wall Paintings,” Puay-Peng Ho, Chinese University of Hong Kong. Buddhist Studies Workshop.

April 15, 2004
"Making it Right: American Evangelicals, Popular culture, and the Iraq War." Melani McAlister, Associate Professor of American Studies, George Washington University and author of Epic Encounters: Culture, Media, and U.S. Interests in the Middle East, 1945-2000. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

April 23-24, 2004
Conference on Women and Religion in the African Diaspora. Brent Hayes Edwards, Associate Professor of English, Rutgers University, Keynote speaker.
Sponsored by CSR's Women and Religion in the African Diaspora Project, funded by the Ford Foundation.

April 24, 2004
Islam and the Study of Religion. Workshop co-sponsored by the Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts; Institute for International and Regional Studies; Institute for the Transregional Study of the Contemporary Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia; Department of Near Eastern Studies; Department of Religion.

May 20-22, 2004
Conference on Religion, Poetry, and Memory in Ancient China, Thematic project directed by Martin Kern, Assistant Professor of Chinese Literature, Department of East Asian Studies, Princeton University.

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2002-2003

September 25, 2002
"Quakers and the Search for Pacifist Realism in the 20th Century." J. William Frost, Director of the Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

October 9, 2002
"Gender Justice: Through Qur’anic Hermeneutics and Beyond." Amina Wadud, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, and author of Qur'an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

October 23, 2002
"Women, Catholicism, and Social Change." Jane Redmont, feminist theologian, social activisty, and author of Generous Lives: American Catholic Women Today. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

November 12, 2002
"Imagining the Power of the Goddess: Gender in Yoruba Religious Traditions and Modernity." Lecture by Jacob K. Olupona, Professor of Religion and Director of the Program in African American and African Studies, University of California, Davis. Women and Religion in the African Diaspora Project.

November 13, 2002
"Appeal to Jihad as Rationale for Terror: The Cultural Context and Development of an Idea." James Turner Johnson, Professor of Religion and Associate Member of the Department of Political Science at Rutgers University and author of Just War and Jihad: Historical and Theoretical Perspectives on War and Peace in Western and Islamic Traditions. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

February 6, 2003
"The Shari'ah Debate in Nigeria: Theocracy and Transcendent Secularism - Friends or Foes?" Lamin Sanneh, D. Willis James Professor of Missions and World Christianity, Yale University, and author of Piety and Power: Muslims and Christians in West Africa. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

March 6, 2003
"To Heal the Body, Mind and Soul: Dr. Matilda A. Evans of South Carolina, 1870-1935." Public Lecture by Darlene Clark Hine, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of American History at Michigan State University and author of Hine Sight: Black Women and the Re-Construction of American History. Women and Religion in the African Diaspora Project.

March 26, 2003
"From Spirituals to Swing: Rosetta Tharpe and Gospel Crossover." Lecture by Gayle Wald, Department of English, George Washington University. Women and Religion in the African Diaspora Project.

May 17-18, 2003
"The Moral Mystic: Mysticism and Moral Philosophy." Thematic project conference organized by Christian Wildberg, Associate Professor of Classics.

June 6-8, 2003
"The Prehistory of the Posthuman." Thematic project conference featuring presentations by Blaise Aguera y Arcas, Kathleen Biddick, Zakiya Hanafi, Mark Hansen, Steven Justice, Tamara Ketabgian, Kevin Lagrandeur, Jonathan Lamb, Eileen Reeves, Jonathan Sheehan, Julie Solomon, and Marina Warner.

2001-2002

October 9, 2001
"The People, Politics, and the Pulpit."Lecture by Andrew Kohut, Director of the Pew Research Center for People and the Press, Washington D.C. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

November 8-9, 2001
What Does It Mean To Be Human? Religion and Bioethics Conference Drawing upon prominent ethicists, philosophers, theologians, historians, and molecular biologists, the Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University gathered together an interdisciplinary group to reflect upon the religious and ethical dimensions of modern science. Featured speakers for the event were James F. Childress, a Professor of Ethics at the University of Virginia and one of the most renowned experts in biomedical ethics of our time; Thomas H. Murray, President of The Hastings Center and a specialist in topics that include genetics, organ donation, and health policy; Gilbert Meilaender, a Theologian at Valparaiso who has written widely on the theological implications of modern science; and John A. Robertson, a Professor of Law at the University of Texas who is well known for his pioneering work on the legal and ethical issues involved in control of biomedical technology, especially cloning. This slate of distinguished speakers represents a wide range of expertise and points of view, and discussion of  the most urgent religious questions facing modern technological society was lively. Respondents from the Princeton University campus included Peter Singer, DeCamp Professor of Bioethics; Lee M. Silver, Professor of Molecular Biology; Jeffrey L. Stout, Professor of Religion; and Carolyn Rouse, Assistant Professor of Anthropology.  Princeton University President Shirley M. Tilghman chaired the Thursday lecture, and President Emeritus Harold T. Shapiro chaired the Friday morning session.  For more information, click here.

November 13, 2001
"Development and Religion: Harmony or Discordance?" Lecture by Katherine Marshall, The World Bank.

November 28, 2001
"Toleration for What Purpose? A Perspective on American Religious Pluralism."Lecture by Gustav Niebuhr, Religion Reporter for the New York Times. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

February 22, 2002
"Purity, Power, and Praise: Revisioning Women's Religious Roles in Africa and the African Diaspora." Symposium featuring Anthea Butler, Laurie Maffly-Kipp, Nell Irvin Painter, Judith Weisenfeld, Deidre Crumbley, Oyeronke Oyewumi, Peter J. Paris, and Isabel Mukonyora. Women and Religion in the African Diaspora Project.

February 28, 2002
"Religion in the Public Square: The Example of Catholic Parishes." Mary Jo Bane, Thornton Bradshaw Professor of Public Policy and Management, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

March 5, 2002
"Identity, Loyalty, and Politics." Jean Bethke Elshtain, Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor of Social and Political Ethics, The Divinity School, University of Chicago; and Co-Chair of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

April 2, 2002:
"Real Religion: How Americans Actually Practice Their Faith." Alan Wolfe, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, Boston College. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

April 24, 2002
"Vodou Spirits, Rara Queens and Small Men: Gender, Vulgarity and Slavery in Afro-Creole Religion." Elizabeth McAlister, Wesleyan College.
The talk addressed material from McAlister's book, Rara: Vodou, Power, and Performance in Haiti and its Diaspora (University of California Press, 2002).
Respondent: Joan Dayan, University of Pennsylvania, author of Haiti, History, and the Gods (University of California Press, 1995). Women and Religion in the African Diaspora Project.

May 9-10, 2002
“Poverty and Charity: Judaism, Christianity, Islam.” Thematic project conference featuring papers by Mark R. Cohen, Judah Galinsky, Elliott Horowitz, Peregrine Horden, Brian Pullan, Marjorie K. McIntosh, Michael Bonner, Amy Singer, and Mine Ener.

May 17-19, 2002
"Death and Dying." Thematic project conference organized by Jacqueline I. Stone.

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2000-2001

October 2, 2000
"China's Catholics: Tragedy and Hope in an Emerging Civil Society." Lecture by Richard Madsen, Professor of Sociology, University of California at San Diego. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

October 24, 2000
"Buddhism and Science."Public Lecture by Donald Lopez, University of Michigan,

November 28, 2000
"Being Broad in the Concrete: Black Women and Race/Gender/Class Contradictions." Jacquelyn Grant, Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta GA.

December 11, 2000
"Religions as Public Actors: The Need for Primary and Secondary Language." Lecture by William Vendley, Secretary-General of the World Conference on Religion and Peace International. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

February 8, 2001
"Transcending the Local: A Global Framework for Assessing Muslim Women's Rights." Lecture by Ann Elizabeth Mayer, Asssociate Professor of Legal Studies, University of Pennsylvania. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

February 20, 2001
"What Shall We Do with These Proverbs? Black Women's Spiritual Narratives in Africa and the Diaspora." Symposium featuring Mercy Amba Oduyoye (Trinity Theological College, Ghana), author of Daughters of Anowa: African Women and Patriarchy; Joycelyn Moody (University of Washington), author of Sentimental Confessions: Spiritual Narratives of Nineteenth-Century African American Women; and Carolyn Rouse (Princeton University), author of the forthcoming Engaged Surrender: Women's Ambivalence and Empowerment in African American Islam. Women and Religion in the African Diaspora Project.

March 27, 2001
"A Christian View of History" Lecture by James Billington, Librarian of Congress. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

March 30-April 1, 2001
“Religion and Cinema” Thematic project conference featuring Nathaniel Dorsky, Tony Pipolo, William LaFleur, Sally Shafto, P. Adams Sitney, and Jeffrey Stout

April 4, 2001
"Church and State: Perfect Together?" Lecture by DeForest B. "Buster" Soaries, Jr., New Jersey Secretary of State. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

May 4
"Dissolving Boundaries: A Decade of Dialogue in the Study of Religion." Graduate School Centennial Symposium: This decennial celebration of the Center for the Study of Religion presented the scholarship of former graduate participants in the Center’s Religion and Culture Workshop. Emphasizing new directions in the academic study of religion based on dialogues that cross the traditional boundaries of scholarly disciplines, this public forum explored the ongoing impact of the Center’s commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship.

May 16-17, 2001
"The Ties That Bind: Religion and Family in Contemporary America" Conference featuring a keynote lecture by Linda Waite of the University of Chicago, and including speakers Theodora Ooms, Larry Bumpass, Darren Sherkat, Jack Wertheimer, Don S. Browning, W. Bradford Wilcox, Christopher Ellison, Valarie King, Irwin Garfinkel, J. Bradley Wigger, Penny Edgell Becker, Margaret Brinig, Diana Garland, William Doherty, and Robert Franklin. For transcripts of this conference, click here.

June 1, 2001
"What Does it Mean To Be Human?: Science and Religion in Dialogue." During Reunions Weekend 2001, the Center sponsored an Alumni Panel. Drawing upon the strengths of Princeton alumni and current faculty, we gathered together a group of scientists and scholars of religion to reflect upon such questions and upon the religious and ethical dimensions of modern science more broadly. Panelists were Barbara A. Eckman '76, a scientist with a Ph.D. in Religion who works in Bioinformatics at GlaxoSmithKline; F. Robert Brush '51, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Purdue University; Donald K. Swearer '56 *67, Professor of Religion at Swarthmore College; and Henry S. Levinson *76, Professor of Religion at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.

June 8-10, 2001
“Darwin and Religion” Conference, with William Howarth, Lisa Sideris, and others

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1999-2000

October 21, 1999
"The Bible's Most Ancient Interpreters" Lecture by James Kugel, Harvard University.

December 9, 1999
"The Public Square: Naked, Sacred, or Civil?"Lecture by Richard John Neuhaus, President of the Institute on Religion and Public Life. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

February 8, 2000
"Church, State, and the NSC: Religion and the Making of American Foreign Policy."Lecture by Elliot Abrams, President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

February 29, 2000
"Is Jesus a Republican or a Democrat?" Lecture by Anthony Campolo, Professor of Sociology, Eastern College; President and Founder, Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

April 6, 2000
"Latin America, Protestantism, and the Long Trail of Memory."Lecture by Richard Rodriguez, Author of Hunger of Memory and Days of Obligation: An Argument with my Mexican Father. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

April 7, 2000
"Radio, Race, and Religion in the World War II Era" Symposium on Barbara Dianne Savage, BROADCASTING FREEDOM: RADIO, WAR, AND THE POLITICS OF RACE 1938-1948. Featured speakers were Professor Savage (Department of History, University of Pennsylvania) and commentators Deborah Dash Moore (Department of Religion, Vassar College) and Judith Weisenfeld (Institute for the Advanced Study of Religion at Yale). Professor Moore is the author of many books, including To The Golden Cities: Pursuing the American Jewish Dream in Miami and L.A. and the forthcoming The War of Our Fathers: Jewish G.I.'s in World War II. Professor Weisenfeld is the author of African American Women and Christian Activism and the forthcoming Through A Glass Darkly: On Religion, Race, and Gender in American Film, 1927-1950.

April 11-13, 2000
"Songs of the Spirit: World Traditions of Religious Chant,"Thematic Project Conference, directed by Professor Peter Jeffery. Exploring the diversity of chant traditions from around the world, the event featured lectures and demonstrations by experts who highlighted the theory and especially the practice of religious chant. Presentations and performances focused on Hindu, Tibetan Buddhist, Judaic, Islamic, and Eastern Orthodox Christian traditions. Key issues discussed include: "chant" as a comparative category in the study of musical and religious systems of symbolism of chant and understandings of personal experience; training of practitioners, including memory techniques and notational systems; roles of specialists vs. non-specialists in rituals and observances; significance of scripture and other forms of religious authority; impact of modern developments such as recording and broadcast technologies; movements of renewal, revitalization and resurgence. Participating in the conference were Guy Beck (Tulane University), Anna Gade (Princeton University), Bilal Hyde (San Francisco, California), Peter Jeffery (Princeton University), Photios Ketsetzis (Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology), Boaz Tarsi (Jewish Theological Seminary), Elizabeth Tolbert (Johns Hopkins University), and Geshe Lobzang Tsetan (Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center).

April 25, 2000
Eugene F. Rivers, Founder and Co-Chair of the Ten Point Coalition Leadership Foundation; community activist, Boston, MA.
Lecture Title: "The Role of the Faith Factor in Violent Crime Reduction." Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

April 26, 2000
"The American Religious Experiment: Separation, Establishment, or Accommodation?" Lecture by Richard Land, President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Southern Baptist Convention. Crossroads of Religion and Politics Lecture Series.

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1998-1999

Spring 1999 CSR Inaugural Public Lecture
"Freud and Moses: The Psychological Power of Religious Tradition" Lecture by Richard Bernstein, New School of Social Research:

May 21-23, 1999
"Religion and the Senses" Conference organized by Leigh E. Schmidt, Professor of Religion at Princeton. The gathering was international in scope, bringing together scholars from England, Canada, and South Africa as well as the United States. The featured keynote speaker was Margaret R. Miles, Dean of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. Speakers and chairs for the subsequent f