THE ANDREA MITCHELL CENTER CAPS ITS 2017-18 THEME YEAR ON “STATES OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM" by addressing a series of challenging questions: What is religious freedom? Can it truly be universal? What are the rights of religious minorities when set against a nation's popular majority?  And when religious liberties seemingly conflict with gender and sexuality rights, which should prevail if the conflict cannot be resolved?  Panelists include Lori G. Beaman (University of Ottawa), Heiner Bielefeldt (University of Erlangen), W. Cole Durham (Brigham Young University), Mayanthi Fernando (UC Santa Cruz), R. Marie Griffith (Washington University in St. Louis), Joshua Matz (Gupta Wessler PLLC), Daniel Philpott (University of Notre Dame), and William Schultz  (Mitchell Center Postdoctoral Fellow).

PROGRAM

Introductory Remarks (9:00-9:15 am)

Panel 1 (9:15-10:45 am): What is Religious Freedom?
WATCH VIDEO HERE

Chair: Jolyon Thomas. 
Joshua Matz: Amicus Brief in Support of State of Hawaii in the Trump Travel Ban Case / Abstract
Daniel Philpott: A Case for The Human Right of Religious Freedom / Abstract
Discussant: Michele Margolis

Panel 2 (11:00 am-12:30 pm): Can Religious Freedom Be Universal?
WATCH VIDEO HERE

Chair: Jim Hrdlicka
Cole Durham: Religious Freedom: A Universal Right Vital to the Protection of the Dignity of Difference / Abstract
Heiner Bielefeldt: Can Religious Freedom Be Universal? / Abstract
Discussant: Rogers Smith

Panel 3 (1:30-3:00 pm): What Are the Rights of Religious Minorities Against Popular Majorities?
WATCH VIDEO HERE

Chair: Daniel Cheely
William Schultz: Bad Faith: Fraud and Religious Freedom in the “Mighty I Am” Case / Abstract
Lori Beaman: The ‘Culture’ of Popular Majorities and the ‘Religion’ of Minorities / Abstract
Discussant: Melissa Wilde

Panel 4 (3:15-4:45 pm): Gender and Sexuality Rights v. Religious Rights: Which Come First?
WATCH VIDEO HERE

Chair: Ronit Stahl
Mayanthi Fernando: Rethinking Religion v. Gender/Sexuality / Abstract
R. Marie Griffith: Gender and Sexuality Rights v. Religious Rights: Which Come First / Abstract
Discussant: Anthea Butler

Closing Remarks (4:45-5:00 pm)

College Hall, Room 209 (Accessibility)
Free and open to the public / Lunch provided

Shom Mazumder (Harvard University, Government)
"The Slave Order in American Political Development: Evidence from the New Deal Era"

Nick Millman (University of Pennsylvania, English)
"Fitful Transitions: Memory Museums and Transitional Justice in Peru"

College Hall, Room 209 (Accessibility)

Free and open to the public.

Stiteler Hall, Silverstein Forum
Free and open to the public / Food provided

Discussant: R. Scott Hanson (Penn History)

All attendees are encouraged to read Prof. Fox's paper, available here.
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO OF THE EVENT HERE.

IN HIS RESEARCH, Jonthan Fox has examined the extent of religious discrimination against 313 religious minorities in 68 Christian-Majority democracies. Despite expectations that liberal democracies should have religious freedom, religious discrimination is common. Also, despite Western democracies being considered the most liberally democratic democracies and the source of the liberal democratic ideology that supports religious freedom, religious discrimination is higher in Western democracies than in Christian-majority democracies in the developing world.

JONATHAN FOX is the Yehuda Avner Professor of Religion and Politics, director of the Religion and State (RAS) project (www.religionandstate.org), and a senior research fellow at Bar-Ilan's Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. He specializes in the influence of religion on politics which he examines using both quantitative and qualitative methodology. His research also investigates the impact of religion on domestic conflict, terrorism, international intervention, and international relations. His other research interests include the quantitative analysis of Samuel Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations" theory, nationalism, and ethnic conflict. His recent books on these topics include An Introduction to Religion and Politics: Theory & Practice, Second edition (Routledge, 2018); Political Secularism, Religion and the State: A Time Series Analysis of Worldwide Data (Cambridge University Press, 2015); and The Unfree Exercise of Religion: A World Survey of Discrimination against Religious Minorities (Cambridge University Press, 2016).

All attendees are encouraged to read Prof. Fox's paper, available here.

College Hall, 4th Floor (Philomathean Society)