Watson Events

Elizabeth Hurd -- The International Politics of Religious Freedom

"The International Politics of Religious Freedom"

Speaker Elizabeth Hurd, Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University, addresses the question: Is it possible to generalize about what is being protected when states, courts and supra-national authorities such as the European Union, the United States, the Strasbourg Court, and the United Nations advocate and secure legal guarantees for religious freedom? The early 21st century is witnessing a dramatic proliferation of transnational projects dedicated to securing religious freedom. This talk maps the global institutional architecture of religious freedom advocacy and explores the contentious politics surrounding these efforts. Rather than view religious freedom as an unchanging standard or form of global law that imposes a set of universal rules, it approaches the production and promotion of religious freedom as situated sets of cultural practices that produce new understandings and actions, transforming the moral and political landscapes in which they intervene.

Part of the Religion and Internationalism Project.

Colloquia are open to all graduate students and faculty.

Location: Kim Koo Library, Watson Institute, 111 Thayer Street.