“Religion &”: Center Conversations on the State of Religion and the Current Moment

 “Religion &” is a series of monthly conversations between leading academics and thinkers in multiple fields hosted by the Center to continue these critically important interventions.  Every Third Thursday at 3p ET we discuss a topic that looks at the relationship between religion, the pressing issues of our day, and their impact on the fields we study.

Previous episodes of “Religion &” can be viewed on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/RAACTUBE/playlists.

Find related teaching and learning resources for each video by clicking on the video page or searching in the Teaching Resources page.

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Season 4 (2023-2024)

As we begin the fourth season of “Religion &”, we continue to find questions about religion and American culture at the center of public conversations as we simultaneously face increasing polarization that threatens the possibility and promise of healthy discourse. The Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture is uniquely positioned to facilitate discussions on the relationship between these cultural shifts, the study of religion, and the role of the modern scholar and teacher. For over 30 years, CSR&AC has brought together scholars and practitioners to engage religion and its relationship to the most important questions in our fields, on our campuses, and throughout our society. “Religion &” is a series of monthly conversations between leading academics, activists and public thinkers hosted by the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture to continue these critically important interventions.

Every month via Zoom and Facebook, emerging scholars alongside established thinkers will engage the pressing issues of this current moment, their impact on our fields of study, and the groundbreaking research, teaching and public engagement taking place across the country. This is our opportunity, as thinkers of religion and American culture, to assess and respond to this current moment and create a culture of sustained conversation on “Religion &” its impact on our changing world.

Season 3 (2022-2023)

As we begin the third season of “Religion &”, we continue to find questions about religion and American culture at the center of public conversations and policy debates. The Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture is uniquely positioned to facilitate conversations on the relationship between these cultural shifts and the category of religion. For over 30 years, CSR&AC has brought together scholars and practitioners to engage religion and its relationship to the most important questions in our fields, on our campuses, and throughout our society. “Religion &” is a series of monthly conversations between leading academics and public thinkers in multiple fields hosted by the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture to continue these critically important interventions.
 
Every third Thursday at 3:00p ET via Zoom and Facebook, young and emerging scholars alongside established thinkers will engage the pressing issues of this current moment, their impact on our fields of study, and the groundbreaking work and engaged research taking place across the country. This is our opportunity, as thinkers of religion and American culture, to assess and respond to this current moment and create a culture of sustained conversation on “Religion &” the pressing issues of the day.

Season 2 (2021-2022)

As we begin the second season of “Religion &”, we continue to find questions about religion and American culture at the center of public conversations and policy debates. The COVID-19 pandemic still rages on alongside political realignments and environmental catastrophes that are unparalleled in their ferocity and the their impact on our social, political and religious structures. The Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture is uniquely positioned to facilitate conversations on the relationship between these cultural shifts and the category of religion. For over 30 years, CSR&AC has brought together scholars and practitioners to engage religion and its relationship to the most important questions in our fields, on our campuses, and throughout our society. “Religion &” is a series of monthly conversations between leading academics and public thinkers in multiple fields hosted by the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture to continue these critically important interventions.

Every third Thursday at 3:00p ET via Zoom and Facebook, young and emerging scholars alongside established thinkers will engage the pressing issues of this current moment, their impact on our fields of study, and the groundbreaking work and engaged research taking place across the country. This is our opportunity, as thinkers of religion and American culture, to assess and respond to this current moment and create a culture of sustained conversation on “Religion &” the pressing issues of the day.

Season 1 (2020-2021)

2020 has been a year of significant changes that have impacted the climate and conversation of the American and global public. The COVID-19 pandemic and the current protests associated with the long struggle for racial justice in the United States have informed every aspect of American culture, from politics to music to religious communities. The Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture is uniquely positioned to facilitate conversations on the relationship between these cultural shifts and the category of religion. For over 30 years, CSR&AC has brought together scholars and practitioners to engage religion and its relationship to the most important questions in our fields, on our campuses, and throughout our society. “Religion &” is a series of monthly conversations between leading academics and thinkers in multiple fields hosted by the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture to continue these critically important interventions.

Every third Thursday at 3:00 ET via Zoom and Facebook, young and emerging scholars alongside established thinkers will engage the pressing issues of this current moment, their impact on our fields of study, and the groundbreaking work and engaged research taking place across the country. This is our opportunity, as thinkers of religion and American culture, to assess and respond to this current moment and create a culture of sustained conversation on “Religion &” the pressing issues of the day.

 

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UPCOMING EPISODES:

 

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PREVIOUS EPISODES:

Season 4

Religion & Comics

April 18, 2024 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Jenny Caplan (University of Cincinnati)

Yvonne Chireau (Swarthmore College)

Hussein Rashid (Independent Scholar)

Host:

Matthew J. Cressler (Chief of Staff at the Corporation for Public Interest Technology, Independent Scholar)

Throughout history, comic books have occupied many roles for religious communities. They continue to do so today. Comics have been mediums for both the positive and negative portrayal of religious belonging. They have served as objects of devotion as well as of controversy and censorship. Some comics are, themselves, religious artifacts. One might approach comics from a literary analytical perspective, identifying and analyzing the theological and otherwise religious themes and characters that appear therein. Join us for a conversation, however, that will discuss comics as sources for the study, teaching, and publication of American religious studies.

Religion & Sports

March 21, 2024 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Annie Blazer (College of William and Mary)

Jeffrey Scholes (University of Colorado, Colorado Springs)

Onaje Woodbine (American University)

Host:

Jennifer Guiliano (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis)

Both sport and religion are multi-billion dollar endeavors in American life. In this episode of Religion &, our panelists explore the multitude of ways that sport and religion converge and diverge in American life. Featuring expertise in the history of sport and religion, sports fandom and religion, and sport and religious experiences, panelists highlight how race, politics, and religion manifest through play. Join us as we consider fields, courts, pitches, and turf and their role in the creation and exporting of American culture.

Religion & War

February 22, 2024 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Samuel Moyn (Yale University)

Mary Ellen O’Connell (University of Notre Dame)

Kate E. Temoney (Montclair State University)

Host:

Raymond Haberski, Jr. (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis)

At any moment in the past year, the international news has been filled with stories of increasing global violence and war. Many of these wars are shaped by long-held rivalries, contrasting views of faith and belonging, and the opinions of dispersed communities that far-exceed the borders of the nation-state. Theorists have argued that the historical relationship between war and religion rests on three propositions: first, war creates martyrs; second, war is about the meaning of religion; and third, war is a manifestation of faith. While pithy, each of these propositions captures centuries-long debates that are complex and substantial. In the present, debates about war and whether peace as reality exists will involve how the public and thought leaders characterize the three propositions. Join us as we explore these and other propositions at the intersection of war, religion, and the possibility of peace.

Religion & Secularism

January 25, 2024 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Lucia Hulsether (Skidmore College)

Leigh Eric Schmidt (Washington University in St. Louis)

Joseph Winters (Duke University)

Host:

Brian Steensland (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis)

Study of the secular and secularism has always been of interest to thinkers and theorists of religion.  In a moment when the traditional boundaries between religion and the secular continue to be blurred, the time is ripe to return to this category, examine emerging theorists and theorizations, and explore its continued usefulness. The panel will explore its many and varied meanings and how different constructions of the secular help us narrate contemporary phenomena. They will explore the ways that secularism not only help us theorize what some have called the “losing of religion” but also the reconfiguring of traditional and new religious movements. Additionally, this panel will discuss why the current evangelical revival, discourses on Afro-pessimism, and rising political partisanship cannot be read apart from histories of and discourses on the secular. Join us as we explore these and other critical questions at the intersection of secularism, the study of religion, and American culture.

Religion & Hip Hop

December 7, 2023 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Erika D. Gault (Smithsonian)

Darrius Hills (Grinnell College)

Andre E. Johnson (University of Memphis)

Host:

Joseph L. Tucker Edmonds (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis)

Popular culture productions often reflect the deepest concerns of a society. It is in these movies, literature, and music that a culture and its artists do the work of unpacking the fears and aspirations of a generation and even a nation. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop, America as well as the wider globe has reflected upon Hip Hop’s origins in Black expressive cultures, its unique contributions, and its evolving shape and reach. This panel seeks to address the ways in which Hip Hop has and continues to function as a type of script or scripture for narrating Black life,  belonging and the afterlives of transatlantic enslavement.  Furthermore, this panel will address the deep relationship between hip hop, spirituality, and alternative Black religions. How has Hip Hop shaped and nurtured discourses on Black religious diversity? What role has Hip Hop played in creating the narrative capacity for varied groups to imagine worlds otherwise, culturally, theologically, and politically? How might the study and teaching of religion more fully engage the contributions and insights of Hip Hop and its far reaching impact on our culture? Join us as we explore these and other critical questions at the intersection of Hip Hop, the study of religion, and cultural production.

Religion & A.I.

October 26, 2023 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Jon Ivan Gill (Gustavus Adolphus College)

Katherine G. Schmidt (Molloy University)

Kristel Clayville (University of Illinois-Chicago)

Host:

Robert Saler (Christian Theological Seminary)

While discourses around religion and Artificial Intelligence have been with us for decades, the exponential growth of models such as GPT-3 (the basis of Chat GPT) and the ascendancy of OpenAI as a company has accelerated the conversation at both philosophical and practical levels. This panel seeks to address the question of how religious studies as a discipline can serve as a fruitful conversation partner for both perennial and emerging questions around AI. For instance: to what extent are such historically determined concepts as “soul” and “real” helpfully informed by religious studies? As the academy wrestles with incorporation of AI into both student work and scholarly research, how might religious studies as a discipline be affected? Will the landscape of the practice of religion be altered significantly by AI, or are such prognostications premature? Join us as we explore these and other salient questions surrounding this timely topic.

Religion & the Public Intellectual

September 28, 2023 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Andrew Whitehead (IUPUI)

Monique Moultrie (Georgia State University)

Mira Sucharov (Carleton University)

Host:

Joseph L. Tucker Edmonds (IUPUI)

Over the last couple of years, the University, its curricula, and its responses to ongoing ideological debates have been under an intense microscope. This new reality has impacted every constituency on the university campus, but is has been particularly noteworthy for scholars whose work intersects with politics, activism, and community engagement. In this episode, a group of deeply engaged and outspoken scholars will address the role of being a public intellectual in politically fraught moments. Our panelists will discuss the ways that their latest works and discourse in the public sphere have placed them in an increasingly complex and unrelenting spotlight. Additionally, they will engage their process of creating more public and accessible works and the impact these works have on their relationship with the university, community partners, and the broader public. Join us for a conversation at the intersection of religion, activism, and the role of the public intellectual.

Season 3

Religion & Drugs

April 20, 2023 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Gary Laderman (Emory University)

Andrew Monteith (Elon University)

Deepak Sarma (Case Western University)

Host:

Brad Stoddard (McDaniel College)

The complex relationship between religion and drugs has long intrigued scholars and the general public. While some religious groups have issued prohibitions against the use of certain drugs, others have involved drugs in their ritual practices. Religion has also played a part in U.S. drug policy. Religious ideologies and institutions have mobilized in the War on Drugs, at the same time that transnational drug cartels have drawn on devotional practices and folk saints to maintain their power. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion with an interdisciplinary panel of experts to explore the fascinating and multi-faceted relationship between religion and drugs, a topic that offers abundant opportunities to think anew about the intersection of American religion, culture, and politics.

The field of Mormon Studies has grown exponentially in recent years, resulting in an explosion of scholarship and the creation of endowed chairs at several universities. In this episode, three leading scholars will discuss the state of the field, considering such questions as: How has Mormon Studies changed our understanding of American religion? Where does the historiography of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stand in relation to the study of other Mormonisms? Is the term “Mormon” here to stay? How does scholars’ church affiliation (or lack thereof) affect their work? What are some major neglected areas in scholarship?

Religion & Machines

November 17, 2022 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Jacob Boss (Indiana University)

Joy Bostic (Case Western Reserve University)

Michael P. Hemenway (Case Western Reserve University)

Host:

Andrea R. Jain (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis)

Religion & Horror

October 20, 2022 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Douglas E. Cowan, Professor of Religious Studies and Social Development Studies at  the University of Waterloo

Erika Engstrom, Director of the University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

W. Scott Poole, Professor of History at the College of Charleston

Host:

Melissa Borja, Assistant Professor of American Culture at University of Michigan

Religion & the Future of the Religious Studies Department

September 15, 2022 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Molly Bassett, Associate Professor, Georgia State University

Morgan Shipley, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Foglio Endowed Chair in Spirituality, Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies, Michigan State University

Kayla Renée Wheeler, Assistant Professor, Gender and Diversity Studies Program, Xavier University

Host:

Rachel Wheeler, Professor of Religious Studies, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Season 2

Religion & Teaching in the Public Sphere

May 19, 2022 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Andrew Ali Aghapour, Scholar and Comedian

Kyhati Y. Joshi, Professor of English, Fairleigh Dickinson University

Jeff Sharlet, Frederick Sessions Beebe ’35 Professor in the Art of Writing, Dartmouth College

Host:

Philip Goff, Chancellor’s Professor of American Studies and Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Religion & Spirituality in Museums

April 21, 2022 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Eric Lewis Williams, Curator of Religion, National Museum of African American History and Culture

Yvonne Chireau, Professor of Religion, Swarthmore College

Ben Garcia, Executive Director, The American LGBTQ+ Museum

Host:

Lois H. Silverman, Professor of Museum Studies, Public Scholar of Museum Education, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Religion & Jackie Robinson and the Long Shadow of Integration

March 24, 2022 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Randal Maurice Jelks, Professor of African and African American Studies at the University of Kansas

Carmen M. Nanko-Fernández, Professor of Hispanic Theology and Ministry at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago

Cohosts:

Chris Lamb, Chair of Journalism and Public Relations and Professor of Journalism at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Mike Long, Author and former Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Conflict Studies at Elizabethtown College

Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers played his first game in the major leagues on April 15, 1947, ending the “color line” in baseball and forever changing sport and society. Robinson famously promised Branch Rickey, the team’s president, that he would turn the other cheek when confronted with the hostilities of racial bigotry. How did Robinson’s faith prepare him for the trauma he endured and the sacrifices he made? Moreover, how have the presumed obligations of religious faith and nationalism haunted professional athletes, especially athletes of color, ever since? Major League Baseball will commemorate the 75^th anniversary of Robinson’s first game on April 15. However, it will do so once again within the lens of white America alongside the ways in which religion, capitalism, and sport intersect. “Turning the other cheek becomes an expectation of subsequent Black and Brown players,” Professor Carmen Nanko-Fernandez writes, “and martyrdom is a way of domesticating dangerous memories and complicated inconvenient prophets such as Jackie Robinson.” In this episode, the panelists will not only discuss the complicated history and memories of Robinson’s integration of baseball, but they also will address the ways in which American sport has been an especially compelling case to theorize the relationship between race and religion. Join humanities scholars and journalists for a timely and thoughtful conversation at the intersection of American studies, religion, and sport.

Religion & the Politics of the Vote

February 17, 2022 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Besheer Mohamed, Senior Researcher, Pew Research Center

Lerone A. Martin, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Martin Luther King, Jr., Centennial Chair and Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford University

Cohosts:

Joseph L. Tucker Edmonds, Professor of Africana Studies and Religious Studies, Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Leah Gunning Francis, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, Associate Professor of Christian Education and Practical Theology, Christian Theological Seminary

On the first Monday of February 2022, the Supreme Court reinstated an Alabama congressional map that a lower court had argued diluted the power of Black voters and was a threat to equal representation for all communities.  These type of challenges, court cases, and state laws are on the rise and the question of the access to the franchise to all eligible voters has come under great scrutiny during the last couple of election cycles.  Who gets to vote? When do voters have opportunity and access to vote? How have and how do electoral maps shape policies, elections, and the future of the US democracy? What roles have religious organizations and emerging activists groups played in bolstering or challenging the dilution of voting rights/access across the country? There has been considerable scholarly and public attention given to the ways that religious institutions and ideologies have impacted and continue to impact the mobilization of voters and political activitsts across the country.  In this episode of Religion &, we will address the long history of the Voting Rights Act and voter suppression, the relationship of religious and civil rights organizations to this act, and how current communities and activists are deploying language, protest, and direct engagement in order to re-imagine and transform the possibilities of democratic participation. Join humanities and social science scholars for a conversation at the intersection of religion, voting rights, and competing visions of democracy.

Religion & Animals and Food Justice

January 20, 2022 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Christopher Carter, Assistant Professor, Assistant Chair and Department Diversity Officer of Theology and Religious Studies, University of San Diego

Lori G. Beaman, Professor and holder of the Canada Research Chair in Religious Diversity and Social Change, University of Ottawa

Cohosts:

Andrea R. Jain, Professor of Religious Studies, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Jonathan Sparks-Franklin, Independent Scholar

At this time of planetary crisis and pandemic, it is critical to address questions about overlapping and multispecies injustice. This episode will interrogate issues about food accessibility and the frontline communities of climate change (human and non-human animal), specifically those who are the first to bear the brunt of environmental degradation and pandemics and the industries and policies most responsible for contributing to them. These panelists illuminate the ways that religious institutions are constructed and enacted in response to these evolving social and environmental conditions, especially as they pertain to animal, food, and racial justice; the histories of activist communities; and the work of diverse coalitions, including Black vegans, radical healthcare advocates, and animal rescue efforts, that imagine and enact forms of multispecies solidarity in the midst of society’s death-dealing structures. Join humanities and social science scholars for a conversation at the intersection of religion, animal rights, and food justice.

Religion & the Supreme Court

December 9, 2021 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Beth Cate, Clinical Associate Professor, O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington

Cohosts:

Arthur E. Farnsley, Senior Research Fellow, The Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture

Sarah Barringer Gordon, Arlin M. Adams Professor of Constitutional Law and Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Religion and religious freedom are often key themes before the Supreme Court. A 2021 New York Times article went as far as to claim “An Extraordinary Winning Streak for Religion at the Supreme Court.” Both the current docket and the faith traditions of the sitting justices have ignited a series of questions around the issues of disestablishment, free exercise, and the ways race, class, and gender identity interact with each of these bedrock American principles. For instance, does the Supreme Court’s protection of religious freedom undermine equality before the law? Does this protection go beyond what even the Founders intended? Panelists will discuss the justices’ understanding of religion, the ways religion is changing in America, and the impact of these combined variables on American life. How can new scholarship about religion, race, gender identity, and jurisprudence help us interrogate the current moment? How can scholars in these fields help us understand the inflection points that define the relationship between Supreme Court decisions and our shared future? Join humanities and legal scholars for a conversation at the intersection of religion, equality, and the Supreme Court.

Religion & Conspiracy

November 18, 2021 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Candace Rondeaux, Professor of Practice at the School of Politics and Global Studies and Senior Fellow with the Center on the Future of War at Arizona State University

David Robertson, Lecturer in Religious Studies at The Open University; co-founder of the Religious Studies Project; co-editor of Implicit Religion

Cohosts:

Robert Saler, Associate Dean and Research Professor of Religion and Culture, Christian Theological Seminary; Director of the Center for Pastoral Excellence and the Lily Endowment Clergy Renewal Program

Sarah Riccardi-Swartz, Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, Arizona State University

Religious participation in conspiracy theories has received increased attention in both scholarship and public discourse lately. As a result, a number of key questions have emerged: Why are some worldviews described as conspiratorial when others are seen as rational, or at least unthreatening? Are conspiracy theories in the body politic a problem to be solved as well as a phenomenon to be understood? What are the material, social, intellectual, and class conditions under which conspiracy theories arise and are transformed? How can religious studies understand and influence public invocations of terms like “conspiracy,” “cult,” etc.? This panel discussion will examine these and other questions in light of what many argue is a recent intensification of the connection between religion and conspiracy theories, particularly in the United States. Join humanities and social science scholars for a conversation at the intersection of religion, the state, and conspiracy.

Religion & Disability

October 21, 2021 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Dan Bowman, Taylor University

Meredith Olivia Harris Hope, College of Wooster

Cohosts:

Kenzie Mintus, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Sarah Imhoff, Indiana University, Bloomington

Religious communities have often been at the forefront of providing services and support for parishioners with varying health, social, and economic needs.  However, this attention to difference has not always translated to a thoughtful encounter with intersectionality and the ways in which ability operates differently across race, gender, and class.  This panel hopes to address questions of access by examining the intersection of disability and religion through a lens that focuses on embodied religious practice and embodiment more broadly.  Moreover, this panel will address how disability and religion provide a novel space to think critically about inclusion and visibility in the political arena, classrooms, and religious spaces. We ask: “How has disability theory and activism opened up new arenas for social protest and political belonging—particularly with regard to religious spaces?” This panel discussion will examine these and other topics in light of what many argue is a renewed attention to neurodiversity, varied abilities, and access in an age of social media and distance learning. Join humanities and social science scholars for a conversation at the intersection of religion, disability, and resistance.

Religion & Refugees and Immigration

September 16, 2021 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists:

Salah Ansary, Senior District Director, Lutheran Community Services Northwest

Todd Scribner, Educational Outreach Coordinator, Department of Migration and Refugee Services, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Religion and Resettlement Project, Princeton University

Cohosts:

Melissa Borja, University of Michigan

Soulit Chacko, Postdoctoral Fellow and Affiliate Faculty, Department of Sociology, IUPUI

At this very moment, thousands of Afghan refugees are arriving in the United States and other places around the world after a frenzied evacuation effort and bungled military withdrawal. This moment not only revives old debates about the United States’ relationship with Afghanistan and the Taliban regime, but it also reopens critical questions about policies on refugees, migration, and asylum. At the same time, the US continues to contend with the ongoing arrival of migrants fleeing Central America and the contested nature of a US-Mexico border policy. In this “Religion &”, panelists will address the history of refugee and migration policies and the role of religious organizations in supporting or challenging policies. Additionally, this episode will explore how scholars of religion and practitioners are employing new methods to study the movement, agency, and institution building of refugee and migrant communities. Join scholars and leaders in the field of migration policy as they explore these issues and the larger relationship between religion, refugees, and migration policy in the United States.

Season 1

Religion & Teaching In and Beyond the Classroom

May 20, 2021 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists: Caleb Elfenbein, Grinnell College; Gerardo Marti, Davidson College

Cohosts: Kate Bowler, Duke Divinity School; Philip Goff, IUPUI

Given the renewed attention to teaching–including public teaching and online learning–that emerged during the pandemic, we want to end this yearlong series of discussions with the topic of teaching and public engagement. How are our fields thinking about re-imagining teaching in light of the pandemic/racial reckoning and how are faculty and universities preparing for the fall? This topic, of course, goes beyond the pandemic and we want to think about the role and impact of public teaching and how creative and thoughtful scholars are shaping the classroom, the blogsphere, and podcasts to better reach their core audiences.

Religion & Grief

April 15, 2021 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists: Candi Cann, Baylor University; Michael Brandon McCormack, University of Louisville

Cohosts: Laura Levitt, Temple University; Brian Steensland, IUPUI

Given the year we’ve been through—the multiple types of losses and “sadnesses” people have struggled with—it is fitting that we consider the roles of religion in all of this. “Religion & Grief,” however, extends beyond the pandemic, and this discussion will explore the ways scholars of religion and American Studies are theorizing grief, death, suffering, and the rituals that attend to these moments. Have our understandings of grief changed or expanded in this current moment? Do new religious movements or the deeper engagement of groups (like the nones, women of color, victims of racialized or sexual violence) complicate our analysis and narration of grief? Is grief an adequately compelling and capacious term to address the loss and sadness that we theorize in our work?  Join humanities and social science scholars as they explore these questions and the larger relationships between religion, ritual, and various types of grief and loss.

Religion & Climate Change

March 18, 2021 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists: Amanda J. Baugh, California State University, Northridge; Evan Berry, Arizona State University

Cohosts: Lisa H. Sideris, Indiana University, Bloomington; Peter J. Thuesen, IUPUI

As the pandemic dominated Americans’ attention in 2020, another crisis—climate change—worsened with alarming speed. The year 2020 brought the most active Atlantic hurricane season ever, the West Coast’s worst fire season, and the hottest global temperatures (tied with 2016). All of this unfolded even as the Trump administration, in alliance with evangelical climate-change deniers, continued to thwart policies that would combat global warming. Now, with the election of Joe Biden, the U.S. has rejoined the Paris climate accord and environmentalism is regaining political momentum. What is religion’s role in this new environment, and how does it shape Americans’ understanding of climate change? What questions should scholars be pursuing on religion and climate? Join our expert panelists as they reflect on these and related questions.

Religion & Reimagining Black Futures

February 18, 2021 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists: Corey Miles, Morgan State University; Melanie L. Harris, Texas Christian University

Cohosts: Joseph L. Tucker Edmonds, IUPUI; Sylvester Johnson, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

The field of Africana Religious Studies has undergone significant reappraisal in the last 10 years.  Specifically, the field has begun to actively and from an interdisciplinary perspective engage the idea of futurity and Afro-diasporic futures. Scholars from across the spectrum are advancing new approaches to understanding the human condition and social institutions in an age of intelligent machines, social media and technological innovation. In this panel, we will look at the emerging approaches to Black futures in the fields of religious studies and American studies and how approaches from new media, social sciences and brain sciences have opened new models for studying Black religious futures.  Join humanities and social science scholars for a conversation at the intersection of religion, technological innovation and Black futures.

Religion & Memorializing the State

January 21, 2021 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists: Elaine Peña, The George Washington University; Nichole R. Phillips, Emory University

Cohosts: Kristina Horn Sheeler, IUPUI; Raymond Haberski, Jr., IUPUI

The United States is an idea, one that, for better and for worse, has been contested and affirmed for generations through the practice of voting. And while democracy is far more than a presidential election, that contest captures both the popular imagination of what the nation is while also quite directly designating who will run the country. Therefore, Presidents inherit a popular faith as well as an office; they assume a role that is often seen as much sacred as it is political; and they perform duties not unfamiliar to leaders of religious communities throughout the country. Thus the presidential inauguration every four years serves as perhaps the key ceremony in the memorialization of the state—offering Americans a singular opportunity to reflect upon the purpose of their country and their quasi-mystical relationship to it. Join social science and humanities scholars for a conversation about the relationship between religion and memorializing the state.

Religion & Pandemics, Vaccines, and Public Policy

December 17, 2020 at 3:00-4:00pm (Eastern)

Panelists: Ryon Cobb, University of Georgia; Philippa Koch, Missouri State

Cohosts: Richard Gunderman, IUPUI; Krista Hoffmann-Longtin, IUPUI

2020 has been dominated by a variety of responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, from outright fear to blatant disregard to interventions sanctioned by local, state, and federal organizations.  With a vaccine on the horizon, scholars, public health officials and the greater public are asking how do we approach and communicate a thoughtful and ethical model for the distribution and safe implementation of a vaccine protocol.  In this panel, we will look at the history of pandemics and vaccine protocols; discuss the role that religious organizations and leaders played during  these historic moments; and outline the tools our fields offer to deal with the thorny ethical issues that emerge in the midst of surviving and responding during a global health crisis.  Join social science, medicine and humanities scholars for a conversation about Pandemics, Vaccines, and Public Policy.

Religion & the 2020 Election

November 19, 2020 at 3:00 – 4:00 pm (Eastern)

Panelists: Jamil W. Drake, Florida State University; Janelle Wong, University of Maryland

Cohosts: Amanda Friesen, IUPUI; Andrew Whitehead, IUPUI

Religion and politics are intimately intertwined in American civic life, especially when it comes to presidential elections. In this “Religion &” panel, we’ll unpack the 2020 Election focusing on questions like: What role did religion play in the U.S. election? Which candidates and campaigns reflected religious themes? How did religious Americans vote? Join social science and humanities scholars for a conversation about election results and the aftermath.

Religion & Gender and Race in the 2020 Political Landscape

October 15, 2020 at 3:00 – 4:00 pm (Eastern)

Panelists: Melissa Borja, University of Michigan; Grace Yukich, Quinnipiac University

Cohosts: Anthea Butler, University of Pennsylvania; Philip Goff, IUPUI

100 years after the ratification of the 19^th amendment and at this moment of racial reckoning, the American political climate is still dominated by the unequal representation of women, especially women of color, in local, state, and electoral politics. For the inaugural session of “Religion &”, we will explore the intersection of gender, race, politics, and the role of religion. Specifically, this panel will analyze the role that religious traditions play in sustaining or mitigating  new models of engagement, political formation, and social change. How do current works on the intersection of gender, race, religion, and political participation help us frame and anticipate this current electoral season? Furthermore, have our theoretical focus on certain groups, like white Evangelicals, and insistence on traditional constructions of topics, like climate change from the perspective of nation-states and the corporate elite, adversely impacted our ability to tell a compelling story of the American religious landscape and its resistances to the current moment? How might we tell a more comprehensive story of the American electorate and its relationship to gender, race, religion, and belonging?