“Religion and Politics of War,” interdisciplinary conference, March 3-5

The International and Interdisciplinary conference on “Religion and Politics of War: Colonization and Globalization,” sponsored by the Asian Studies program will be attended by scholars from universities in Finland, the UK, India and the United States. Philosophers, theologians, political scientists and social scientists will be addressing the main theme of the conference from interdisciplinary perspectives. Here is the list of universities joining the Asian Studies conference scheduled for March 3-5. The conference is co-sponsored by the Truitt Center for Religous and Spiritual Life, the Office of International Programs, International Studies, the Department of Political Science and the School of Communications. We will also have speakers sponsored by the North Carolina Humanities Council and Fulbright Foundation.

Participating institutions include:

  • Ball State University
  • Barry University
  • Buffalo State College
  • Catholic University of America
  • Converse College
  • Drexell Univrsity
  • Duke University
  • East Carolina University
  • Eckerd College
  • Elon University
  • Hindu University of America
  • Infinity Foundation
  • Mars Hill College
  • Minnesota State University
  • Montclair State University
  • Pfeiffer University
  • University of Exeter
  • University of Helsinki
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • University of South Carolina
  • State University of New York at Buffalo

Admission if free to the public. The complete program of events is listed below:

9:00 a.m. Pick up from Best Western hotel LOBBY

9.30 a.m. Registration/Coffee

10:15 a.m. Welcome by Larry Basirico, Dean of International Studies

Session 1 Chair: Anne Bolin,

Elon University

10:25 a.m. -11.35 a.m.

“Globalization and Negative Theology”, Tommi Lehtonen, University of Helsinki

“Beyond Tolerance: Domestic Reconstruction of Religions and World Peace”, Umesh Gulati, East Carolina University

“Walking on the Moon: The Last Colonists and the Vanishing of the Palestinians”, Steve Gallagher

Session 2 Chair: Richard Liebendorfer,

Minnesota State University

11:40 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

“A New Framework for Understanding Religious Conflicts in the World”, Rajiv Malhotra, Infinity Foundation

Session 3

12:20 p.m. – 1:10 p.m. Chair: Anne Cassebaum,

Elon University

“The Fundamentalist Threat”, Paul S. Penner,

State University of New York at Buffalo

“Public Reason, Secular Politics, and the Threat of an American Theocracy”, Craig Matarrese

Minnesota State University

Session 4

1:10 p.m. – 2:10 p.m. Moderator: John Sullivan, Elon University

Round table session: Religion and Politics of War

Panelists: Paul Penner (SUNY-Buffalo), Craig Matarrese (Minnesota State University), Sandy Smith-Nonini (Elon University) Rudy Zarzar (Elon University), Elizabeth Agnew (Ball State University)

LUNCH BREAK

Session 5 Chair: Brian Digre,

Elon University

3.40 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

“Conflict, Compassion and Human Nature: Insights from Reinhold Niebuhr and Marshall Rosenberg”,

Elizabeth Agnew, Ball State University

“My Daughter for a Television: Globalization and the Women of Cambodia”, Nancy Janus, Eckerd College

“Globalization and New Imperialism”, Janelle Wilson, Claremont Graduate School

Friday, March 4, 2005

Carl Woods Center, Rhodes Stadium, Elon University

9:20 a.m. Pick up from Best Western

Registration and Coffee

Session 1 Chair: Paul Parsons,

Elon University

10:00 a.m. – 11.30 a.m.

“Missionary Millenarianism and the Taiping Rebellion”, Michael Lazich, Buffalo State College

“Peter Winch and Anthony Appiah: Traditional Religion vs. Western Science”, Richard Liebendorfer,

Minnesota State University

“The Metaphysics of Tolerance”, Joel Wilcox, Barry University

Session 2 Chair: Barbara Gordon,

Elon University

11:35 a.m. – 2.10 p.m.

“Abu Graib and Area Studies: Notes on Reserve Postcoloniality”, Mark Driscoll, UNC, Chapel Hill

“The Effects of Mahabharat War on the Society then

and its Relevance for the Contemporary World”

Melukote Sridhar, Hindu University of Orlando

“Derealizing Terror”, Gordon Haist, University of South Carolina

“Nara-Narayana – Hindu Role model on Companionship

of Religion and War in the ‘monk-warrior’”, B.V. K. Sastry, Hindu University of Orlando

“The Courage of Conviction?” Karna before the Epic War”, Aditya Adarkar, Montclair State University

Lunch Break

Session 3

3:40 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Chair: Richard McBride, Elon University

“A Sense of Place in a Globalized World”, Laura Stivers, Pfeiffer University

“Mosanto the Colonizer: A Multinational Corporation Exploration”, Robin Williams, Claremont Graduate University

“Jerusalem’s Churches in Perspective: How Palestianian Christians identify themselves in relation to the Arab-Israeli Conflict as well as to the existing Status Quo”, S. K. Kuruvilla,

University of Exeter

“His Master’s Voice – The Politics of Positioning Ramakrishna in the West”, Ruprekha Chowdhury, University of California at Berkeley

5:00 p.m.

“Moral Luck and Social Justice: John Locke meets the Bodhisattva”, Owen Flanagan, Duke University

Saturday, March 5, 2005

McEwen 011, Elon University

9:00 a.m. Pick up at Best Western

9:30 a.m. Chair: Chandana Chakrabarti,

Elon University

“Teaching Islamic Politics and Middle East Conflict”, Joe Dunn, Converse College

“Destiny: Is it Manifest”, Marc Mullinax, Mars Hill College

“Adaptation to the Chinese Environment”,Xiaofan Li, The Catholic University of America

“Critical Concerns Regarding the U.S. International Studies in Higher Education Act of 2003”, R.J. Magyar, Drexell University

“Gandhi and Morality of Violence”, Umesh Gulati, East Carolina University

“Saint Patrick of Ireland”, Geoffrey Moehl ll, Ashbury Theological Seminary, Orlando

“God and War: Esoteric Effects of the Mundane”, Lynne Wedul, Elon University

“On the Thesis of Inner Bliss and Harmony as a Foundation for World Peace”, Douglas Evan De Masters