annual report 2010-11

about the center for the study of religion and conflict

Religion wields extraordinary influence in public affairs. Although a rich reservoir of

values, principles, and ideals, it is also a powerful source of conflict and violence as

diverse traditions—religious and secular—collide. Globalizing trends that are making

the world smaller are also unleashing dynamics that are creating some of the most

complex and challenging problems of our age.

The Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict at Arizona State University promotes

interdisciplinary research and education on the dynamics of religion and conflict with

the aim of advancing knowledge, seeking solutions and informing policy. By serving

as a research hub that fosters exchange and collaboration across the university as well

as with its broader publics—local, national, and global—the Center fosters innovative

and engaged thinking on matters of enormous importance to us all.

Committed to a model of scholarship that is transdisciplinary, collaborative and

problem-focused, the Center stimulates new research by bringing together faculty and

students from across the disciplines, creating links between the academic world and

that of professionals, policymakers, practitioners and religious leaders, and fostering

cross-cultural exchange through partnerships and collaborations with international

scholars, students and institutions.

Table of Contents

From the Director 1

Year in Review 2010–11 2

New Initiatives 4

Peace Studies

Luce Project on Religion and International Affairs: Through the Prism of Rights and Gender

Research 8

Programs 12

Education 14

Friends of the Center 17

Linell Cady Director

Faculty Advisory Committee

John Carlson (Associate Director, CSRC), Religious Studies

Terence Ball Political Science

Abdullahi Gallab African & African American Studies

Joel Gereboff Religious Studies

Moses Moore Religious Studies

Steven Neuberg Psychology

Yasmin Saikia Peace Studies, History

Sheldon Simon International Relations and Security Studies

George Thomas Global Studies

Hava Tirosh-Samuelson Jewish Studies

Carolyn Warner Political Science

Mark Woodward Religious Studies

Staff

Carolyn Forbes Assistant Director

Laurie Perko Coordinator

Research Support

Chad Haines Research Fellow

Maureen Olmsted Project Coordinator

Student Interns and Graduate Assistants, 2010-11

Matt Correa

Diana Coleman

Bret Lewis

Richard Ricketts

Derek Schuttpelz

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message from the director

ASU’s Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict continues to expand its profile as a leading site for transdisciplinary research and education. This Annual Report showcases some of the impressive research, the people and the programs from the past year.

The size and number of the awards from federal agencies and private foundations for faculty research testify to the significance of this work. Projects range from those that focus explicitly on the causes of conflict and violence, to those that address practices and policies aimed at managing conflict and advancing a sustainable peace. A distinguishing feature of all of this research is its multidisciplinary approach that brings scholars with expertise from a range of disciplines together to address urgent problems. Recognizing the innovation and value of such collaboration, the Department of Defense honored our Minerva project with an award for “exceptional scientific achievements and contributions to the field of social cultural modeling” for advancing understanding of movements across the Muslim world that counter violent extremism.

Further supporting our collaborative efforts, a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation is funding a new initiative that explores the role of religion in international affairs. Our project focuses on the intersections of religion, human rights, and gender, and the conflicts, movements and debates they have generated. In addition to funding a seminar that includes faculty from across the university, the project is supporting individual research projects, co-taught courses, and bringing a series of visiting scholars and practitioners to campus. This past year we were honored to have Marzia Basel join us as the Luce international fellow for a month’s residency at the Center.

The appointment of Yasmin Saikia as the Hardt-Nickachos Chair in Peace Studies has greatly enhanced our initiative in developing research and education in which peace is a guiding focus. This included a major conference on women, Islam and peacebuilding held at ASU in March 2011. It brought together scholars and practitioners from ASU, the United States and abroad to address the increasingly important role that Muslim women are playing as individuals and as leaders and participants in broader movements to transform their societies.

Linking research to rich educational opportunities for our students continues to be a top priority. Our Undergraduate Research Fellows Program, now in its eighth year, attracts some of the university’s most talented students for a unique blend of seminar and research internships. Our interdisciplinary undergraduate certificate program, available to all students regardless of major, explores diverse approaches to the intersections of religion, conflict, and peacebuilding. Several dozen students have earned the certificate since its launch three years ago.

Key to these advances has been a robust community that supports intellectual exchanges and sparks creative new thinking through conversations, colloquia, lectures, and conferences. We are grateful to have the continuing support of John and Dee Whiteman for our major public lecture series, “Religion and Conflict: Alternative Visions, ” which brings leading intellectuals to campus to engage issues ranging from religion, politics and American identity to the shifting religious and political currents in the Middle East.

I encourage you to read the report, explore our website, participate in our events, and contribute to our work. As always, we appreciate your interest, ideas and support as we work towards deepening understanding and creating a more peaceable world.

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November

Two-day workshop on Kingian Non-violence

Maxine and Jonathan Marshall Speaker on Religion and Conflict• Eliza Griswold: “The Tenth Parallel: Dispatches from

the Fault Line Between Christianity and Islam”

Conversations at the Center• Chad Haines: “Afghanistan: States of

Indeterminancy”• Evelyn Early: “Rethinking Public Diplomacy: Religion

Discourse in the Middle East”

CSRC Fellow co-writes and performs in “Religious Persecution in the US: An Interactive Student Theater Project

World-reknowned Gandhi scholar Dennis Dalton visits CSRC

December

CSRC Luce Seminar on Religion, Rights and Gender

Conversations at the Center• Elizabeth Shakman Hurd: “Law,

Religion, and the Politics of International Human Rights”

• Dan Philpott: “God’s Century: Resurgent Religion and Global Politics”

October

Religion and Conflict: Alternative Visions Public Lecture Series• James Davidson Hunter and Alan Wolfe: “From

Tea Parties to Textbooks: Religion, Politics and the Struggle for American Identity”

Release of CSRC Director Linell Cady’s Comparative Secularisms in a Global Age (Palgrave Macmillan, with Elizabeth Shakman Hurd)

September

Launch of Hardt-Nickachos Peace Studies Initiative• “How Do We Teach Peace?”, with

ASU President Michael M. Crow, CSRC Director Linell Cady and Yasmin Saikia, Hardt-Nickachos Chair in Peace Studies

CSRC Minerva Project—Presentation at National Defense University in Washington

August

Henry Luce Foundation awards grant to CSRC for project on “Religion and International Affairs: Through the Prism of Rights and Gender”

Yasmin Saikia joins CSRC as first holder of Hardt-Nickachos Peace Studies Chair

Announcement of 2010-11 CSRC Undergraduate Research Fellows

CSRC Luce Seminar on Religion, Rights and Gender begins

CSRC Faculty Seminar on Religion and Revolution begins

2010

CSRC year in reviewhighlights from the 2010-11 academic year

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March

Luce International Fellow, Marzia Basel, begins month-long residency at CSRC

Religion and Conflict: Alternative Visions• Isobel Coleman: “Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How

Women are Transforming the Middle East”

International Conference on “Women, Islam and Peacebuilding”

Conversations at the Center• Gershon Baskin: “Is Israeli-Palestinian Peace Possible:

Obstacles and Opportunities”• Charles Hirshkind: “Is There a Secular Body”• Marzia Basel: “Gender, Religion, and Human Rights:

Afghanistan’s Changes and Challenges”• Merlyna Lim, “Revolution 2.0 in Egypt and Beyond”

May

2010-11 Certificates in Religion and Conflict awarded

Release of Templeton Research Fellows Brad Allenby and Daniel Sarewitz’s The Techno-Human Condition (MIT Press), book-signing event at Changing Hands

April

CSRC Fellow wins Truman Scholarship

Film Festival and Symposium: “Living Conflicts in India, Pakistan, Israel and Palestine: Religion, Secularism and the Search for Peace”

CSRC Research Fellow Chad Haines speaks at Phoenix Council of Foreign Relations

February

CSRC Minerva Project wins DoD-HSCB award

January

Conversations at the Center• Rachel Cichowski: “Women’s

Rights as Human Rights: Theory and Practice in Teaching and Research

Release of CSRC project director Carolyn Warner’s “Thinking about the Role of Religion in Foreign Policy: A Framework for Analysis,” Foreign Policy Analysis (with Steven Walker)

Release of CSRC project director Mark Woodward’s Java, Indonesia and Islam (Springer)

2011

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Professor Yasmin Saikia joined the Center this past year as the first holder of the Hardt-Nickachos Chair in Peace Studies. She grew up in the shadow of the 1971 Bangladesh war, inspiring a passion for peace that informs her teaching and research. The author of three books, her work focuses on movements for peace and reconciliation that exist alongside conflicts at the intersection of religion, history and culture in South Asia. This past year, Professor Saikia launched two new projects—“Learning Peace and Violence” and “Women, Islam and Peacebuilding”—the first a long-term study of children’s learning processes and socialization towards peace and violence in India, Pakistan and Palestine, the second a collaborative project that involved scholars and peacebuilders from many different countries. She also taught several new classes in peace studies—including one on Gandhi and the politics of nonviolence and another on peace movements in the Muslim world. Over the past year, we had the opportunity to discuss with Professor Saikia her vision for peace studies at ASU.

Q: What is peace? Is it merely the opposite of war?I started thinking on this question more deeply during my fieldwork in Pakistan…I realized that the story not told is what happens to ordinary people like you and me. After a war is over, the so-called agreements of nation building, the treaties, are what is typically considered peace…but do human beings really find peace through these processes?

For me peace is a very active verb. It is a harmony, an awareness of being part of a human community that unites diverse communities, unites you and me. It is not a byproduct of some disruption created by divided human communities, divided identities that you see in so much conflict today.

I am not saying that these identities are immaterial nor should they be done away with. I am not talking about a utopian world where there are no categories but I don’t think we need to restrict ourselves to one way of being.

Q: Your answer sounds very philosophical…I am giving a philosophical answer because it has been a process for me to learn that the discussion about peace is not just a matter of definition, it is an awareness building…how do we impassion people with the stories that we tell? Do we tell them the story that we are a human community or that those people are different and they’re here to destroy us? Do we

tell ourselves that to protect ourselves we must do violence? Must we teach others how to obey us or conform to our standards to have peace?

What we are reading, how we are educating, how we approach a problem… it is crucial to understand the different avenues from which you can see peace. For me peace is connecting to the truth. The lie we must contend with is that we are inherently divided. As long as that lie is at the forefront of social consciousness…war and force and whatever other form of violence you can conceive will precede and dictate the terms of our lives and peace will be a byproduct of those terms.

Q: What attracted you to ASU?I realized that I could just keep writing books, but that I did not become an academic for this purpose. The idea of becoming an academic, for me, was to create a certain kind of hope in the next generation. I saw myself as a teacher who should make some change in the way people live their lives. I realized that I needed to find a location that will encourage me and support me to think in this, idealistic you might say, way.

So I started looking at ASU and one of the big factors in my choice to come here was Michael Crow. I listened to tapes of his university address in February of 2010. It was challenging, inspiring…there was an urgency that each person was called upon to do something at ASU…to really succeed…

not just at becoming good teachers and good researchers but in learning to interact, to dialogue, to seek a common ground. I was really stunned as this is where my research is focused. I am looking for the common ground of humanity on a large scale and here a university president was saying disciplines can talk, dialogue, exchange in an interdisciplinary and interpersonal manner. I see this as part of finding the non-divided world, so it was very inspiring to me.

Q: What does your own identity have to do with the study of peace?I am from South Asia and a Muslim person. Muslims are, in many areas of the world, just seen as an object of terror, as if they are no longer human beings. But Islam, like all religions, is the product of a long history and tradition, so we must bring these aspects back into our conversations, not just the destruction that is constantly portrayed in the media.

Right now the focus is on Muslims, but in the past others have held this notorious position as “the enemy” and there will be others in the future. I want to create an academic conversation that explores and reaches out to these vulnerable groups, whether it be women, Muslims, etc. to promote interfaith and interpersonal dialogue.

peace studies at the center for the study of religion and conflict

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Q: How do you feel about the success of your first major event, the conference on Women, Islam and Peacebuilding?The conference itself was a major event spread over two days, with five formal panels, one public conversation between activists, a panel on local issues, and a dinner presentation. Nine of the presentations described peacebuilding activities carried out in international sites in Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Sudan, Nigeria, Iran, Bangladesh and Egypt. We had a very wide range of topics that were covered—theological, philosophical, normative, legal, Islamic feminism, and conflict resolution. After the two-days of discussion on this very new and innovative subject of “Women, Islam and Peacebuilding,” we wanted to take the conversation to another level and are currently at work on developing the papers for an edited book.

Beyond the scholarship that invigorated me, the one-hour public conversation between the Sufi sheikha, Cemalnur Sargut, and social activist, Daisy Khan, was a true highlight for me. In the conversation between them they shared some of their concerns, but instead of delving on the problems they talked of the successes—the small and big steps that they have taken to move forward. I wondered if peace workers, politicians, policy makers, academics and activists could speak and engage each other with equal respect and appreciation, we can solve the world’s problem. These two women and the conversation between them have become my guides for thinking about peace and the power of discourse in a positive way to forge this goal in the future.

One of the important elements for the success of the conference was the audience. It drew in a lot of people from the campus, students and faculty, as well as the public. Many have expressed to me that they now understand the role and work of Muslim women in contemporary Muslim societies much better. This empowering of students and public with new knowledge is a very successful outcome of the conference.

Q. What was your biggest challenge with this event?The biggest challenge we encountered concerned the changing dynamics in the Muslim world that prevented four of our invited speakers from attending, including problems with visas, the outbreak of the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, and concern about the potential for humanitarian crises.

Q: How do you plan to capitalize on the success of this event? What are your plans for expanding peace studies at ASU?We immediately followed up this conference with a film festival that explored the dynamics of religion, secularism and the search for peace. We brought three filmmakers to ASU for discussion of these issues through the situation of India, Pakistan and Israel/Palestine. The enthusiasm of the participants at the conference

and the film festival have made me confident about the efforts we are making to establish peace studies at ASU.

We are building a network of faculty at ASU engaged by these issues. We are working towards expanding the number and range of undergraduate courses offered in peace studies so that we don’t rely on my teaching alone. My goal is to engage a broad conversation on the issue of peace—its scope, meaning, and impact—in order to develop a peace theory emerging from the humanities that we, at the Center, can take a lead role in conceptualizing and disseminating to a wider audience. Interviews conducted by Carol Hughes, Senior Director of Media Relations and Public Affairs for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Richard Ricketts, Media Intern with the center; edited and condensed by Richard Ricketts and Carolyn Forbes.

The Hardt-Nickachos Peace Studies Endowment was established within the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict to enhance research and teaching on the ideas, resources and practices that foster peace. The endowment helped create the Hardt-Nickachos Chair in Peace Studies and supports annual programs that bring attention to the study of peace.

Peace Studies is conceived of as the broad interdisciplinary study of humanity’s imagination of peace and efforts to construct peace, found globally and throughout history, and in the future. Approaching peace as a dynamic, positive process that involves many dimensions and topics, Peace Studies explores the possibilities for peace expressed in philosophical, religious, social, political, and spiritual thought, as well as in diverse cultural and artistic forms, social movements, and institutions, within and across borders.

The establishment of the Hardt-Nickachos Endowment in Peace Studies has long been the dream of emeritus professor Ann Hardt. Making a difference has always been her passion. As a professor in ASU’s College of Education, she taught classes in peace studies and cooperative learning. As a practitioner she trained people all over the world in non-violence and conflict resolution. And as an investor in the future, she and her late husband, Anthony (Tony) Nickachos, first created the Initiative in Religion, Conflict and Peace Studies, then created the endowment, to further teaching, research and international exchanges.

Hardt gifts to the Center have already made a difference, establishing the chair, providing travel scholarships for students to learn about peace building directly from people in conflict zones, and bringing to campus leading scholars and practitioners working at the intersection of religion, conflict and peace studies.

As Hardt says, “As a society we have studied war and violence…it’s time to teach peace at ASU.”

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religion and international affairsthrough the prism of rights and gender

The People

The Luce Project engages a broad group of faculty from the humanities, social sciences and law in a seminar that promotes new research and teaching initiatives through cross-disciplinary exchanges, research grants and teaching awards, dialogue with visiting scholars and practitioners from the US and abroad, and the naming of a Luce International Fellow each year.

Madelaine AdelmanAssociate Professor of Justice and Social Inquiry

Linell Cady**Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict and Dean’s Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies

John Carlson*Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict and Associate Professor of Religious Studies

Roxanne DotyAssociate Professor of Political Science

Alesha DurfeeAssociate Professor of Women and Gender Studies

Tracy FessendenAssociate Professor of Religious Studies

Stanlie JamesProfessor and Head of Faculty of African and African American Studies

Sally KitchFounding Director of the Institute for Humanities Research and Regent’s Professor of Women and Gender Studies

Miki Kittilson*Associate Professor of Political Science

Mary Margaret FonowDirector of the School of Social Transformation and Professor of Women and Gender Studies

Joan McGregorProfessor of Philosophy

Daniel RothenbergExecutive Director and Professor of Practice, Center for Law and Global Affairs

Yasmin SaikiaHardt-Nickachos Chair in Peace Studies and Professor of History

Shahla TalebiAssistant Professor of Religious Studies

The Issues

In the cover story of its July 29, 2010 issue, Time magazine featured a photo of an 18-year old Afghan woman, Aisha, whose nose and ears had been sliced off as punishment for trying to escape her abusive household. The sentence was ordered by a Taliban commander and carried out by Aisha’s husband and brother-in-law. The cover starkly symbolized how human rights concerns—women’s rights in particular—have become pervasive and inextricable elements of international political life. But behind these rights violations, the article pointed out, powerful actors, ideas and interpretations—religious and secular—are at work.

This story of Afghan women is but one illustration of a far-ranging, complex array of issues converging in international affairs around the nexus of human rights, religion, and gender:

• Is secularism the only way for women to achieve equality?

• Is religion inherently antithetical to women’s advancement?

• Is the concept of human rights so associated with “the West” that it can never be a viable means for achieving women’s rights in non-Western countries?

• Are there other religious and ethical traditions—about justice, human dignity, or good governance—that women and mean draw upon to support women’s concerns?

• Do certain rights, principles, policies, presumptions, and institutions come at the expense of women?

It is this convergence of concerns that ASU’s Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict has set out to explore under the auspices of this two-year initiative funded by the Henry R. Luce Foundation’s Program in Religion and International Affairs.

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George ThomasProfessor of Global Studies

Rebecca Tsosie*Professor of Law, Willard H. Pedrick Distinguished Research Scholar, and Affiliate Professor of American Indian Studies

Carolyn Warner**Professor and Head of Faculty of Political Science

Reed WoodAssistant Professor of Political Science

**Project Directors *Project Team Members

Luce International Fellow

A central component of the initiative is the opportunity for extended engagement with leading practitioners from overseas who are at the forefront of change. Serving month-long residencies at the Center, Luce International Fellows engage with faculty, students and community members over an extended period of time.

Marzia Basel, recognized for her leading role in advocating for women’s rights in Afghanistan as the founder and director of the Afghanistan Progressive Law Organization and the Afghan Women’s Judges Association, was named the first Luce International Fellow.

“Basel was an obvious choice to serve as our first Luce International Fellow,” said Linell Cady. “Her background in international law and women and development, coupled with her experience with the Afghan legal system, put her at the forefront of working through the ways in which religion, gender, and rights are negotiated.”

“I would request that you advise the U.S. government not to negotiate away advances for women…Peace without women’s rights is no peace at all. This is my message to you,” said Marzia Basel.

Basel delivered this message repeatedly in a series of public talks, lectures to undergraduate classes, and in meetings with professors and student organizations during her month-long residency at the Center in March 2011. She observed courses in religious studies and law, participated in the Luce Seminar, visited courts and met with judges, and toured local organizations that address issues of domestic violence and women’s rights.

She also met with Sandra Day O’Connor and testified before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in Washington.

In her talks, meetings and testimony, Basel addressed a variety of issues,

including the Afghanistan Constitution and the rule of law, the role of Shari’ah and customary law in Afghanistan and its impact on women’s rights, and the role of Islam in politics.

“I tried to teach students about cultural obstacles to women’s rights in Afghanistan. How is Islam interpreted, and who makes those decisions? One thing I wanted to make clear is that the Taliban is not the voice for what Islam is in Afghanistan. It’s a basic point that needs to be repeated--not all Muslims are extremists,” said Basel.

“I believe that Islam’s protections for women in terms of divorce and property law make it one of the best religions for protecting

women’s rights,” she said. “It is extremist, false and uneducated interpretations that I fear.”

Basel, who holds degrees in law and political science from Kabul University and a master’s in international law and comparative studies from George Washington University, worked as a judge

in civil and criminal courts in Afghanistan. She founded the Afghan Women Judges Association and the Afghan Progressive Law Organization to address those fears.

“By providing support and education to judges and lawyers, I think it will be possible to counter these extreme interpretations,” she said.

Basel also wanted to drive home several points about history and culture.

“I wanted to challenge the idea that the status of women’s rights in Afghanistan has more or less always been in the same spot that it is now,” said Basel.

“In reality, what we have seen is the ascent of an extremist version of Islam in Afghanistan that is powerful, but not representative of the ways most Afghans want to live, or of how people in Afghanistan used to live. If the Taliban returns, the first victims will be women.”

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Minerva Research Initiative:Mapping the Diffusion and Influence of Counter-radical Muslim Discourse

Funder: Department of Defense Minerva Research Initiative

The rise of Islamic extremism is among the most critical issues facing the global community in the twenty-first century. The diffusion of exclusivist, extremist interpretations of Islam is not just a threat to non-Muslims but to Muslim communities as well. In addition to the perpetration of violence, extremists seek to effect cultural change across the Muslim world to facilitate their agendas, in areas ranging from traditional religious practice to gender relations.

Although there is a substantial literature on Muslim extremism, very little is known about the movements within Muslim communities actively working to counter violent extremism. This collaborative, multi-disciplinary project addresses that gap through a systematic effort to examine the types and complexity of the counter-extremist movements, ideas, discourses and networks that are critical to the containment and eventual defeat of radical extremists.

The project employs an integrated set of methodologies to explore these contesting discourses and movements across three culturally, historically and linguistically distinct regions: Southeast Asia, West Africa and Western Europe. Extremist movements are present in each region, and are actively contested by counter movements. Moving beyond the assumption that counter radical discourse necessarily focuses on politics, this study examines the full range of religious, social, political and cultural responses to Muslim extremists within these areas.

By using ethnographic and discourse analysis, survey research, and web mining to map locally defined counter-narratives to extremist ideologies found in these regions—including ritual performance and symbolic action—the project addresses a number of emerging themes. These include:

the interaction of local and global issues in radical and counter-radical discourse; the role of women’s empowerment movements in advancing counter-radical discourse; the degree to which theologically conservative groups rooted in local cultures offer effective counter-extremist strategies; and the role of popular culture in spreading counter-extremist messages across the Muslim world.

A striking feature of the innovative research design of the project is the leading role of the humanities. Scholars in the humanities have a rich history of studying the philosophical, social and historical dimensions of distinct cultures, enabling them to identify nuances that are critical for understanding how counter-radicalism works on the ground across diverse communities and regions. By linking the deep knowledge of area experts and scholars of religious and Islamic studies with the quantitative and computational expertise of social and computer scientists, the project produces a more complex picture of the flow and influence of counter-radical ideas and movements than each approach could produce on its own.

The project has been recognized with an award for “exceptional scientific achievements and contributions to the field

of social cultural modeling” by the Human Social Culture Behavior (HSCB) Modeling Program of the Department of Defense for strengthening the U.S. government’s understanding of movements within Muslim communities actively working to counter violent extremism.

Principal Investigator and Project Director

Mark Woodward, Arizona State University

Co-principal Investigators and Project Team

Steven Corman, Arizona State University

Hasan Davulcu, Arizona State University

David Jacobson, University of South Florida

Riva Kastoryano, Sciences Po (France)

Muhammad Sani Umar, Northwestern University

Arun Sen, Arizona State University

Thomas Taylor, Arizona State University

Partner Institutions

Northwestern University

CERI-Sciences Po (France)

University of South Florida

research thatadvances knowledge through cross-disciplinary engagement

develops new strategies and policy insightcreates international networks

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Comparative Secularisms: Religion, Politics, Gender

Funder: Ford Foundation

Disputes over the nature and legitimacy of the secular state and society have exploded in recent decades both in the United States and abroad. Religious actors and movements increasingly challenge, and sometimes violently resist, the secular consensus that has dominated politics and policy in modern democratic states. Greater understanding of the nature and varieties of secularism is urgently needed to move past polarized and increasingly inflammatory positions that pit an antireligious secularism against religious actors suspicious if not hostile to the secular state and society.

Over the past four years, the project has explored the politics of the dominant public narratives that shape attitudes, perceptions, and conflicts at the interface of religion and the secular. By engaging an international network of scholars, the project has fostered new conversations and new frameworks for addressing the challenges of religious pluralism within the new global order. Early insights and findings from the project have been published in the edited volume Comparative Secularisms in a Global Age

(Palgrave MacMillan, 2010). The project also revealed an emerging set of conflicts at the crossroads of religions and the secular regarding gender and the status of women. A second volume on this topic is forthcoming.

Principal Investigator and Project Director

Linell Cady, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, Arizona State University

Co-principal Investigators and Project Team

Rajeev Bhargava, Center for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi

John Carlson, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, Arizona State University

José Casanova, Georgetown University

Tracy Fessenden, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, Arizona State University

Nilüfer Göle, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris

Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, Northwestern University

The Dynamics of Religion and Conflict

Funder: National Science Foundation

The role of religion in fostering conflict, from the more civil to the more violent, has become increasingly apparent in the contemporary world. Questions surrounding this topic are numerous and wide-ranging. Does religion necessarily foster conflict, even violence? What conditions (cultural, psychological, social, economic, political) tend to foster religious conflict? Is there any significant difference between religious conflict/violence and other forms of group conflict/violence?

There is a significant need to bring a variety of disciplinary perspectives together to explore the intersections of religion, conflict, and violence. Emerging from an

interdisciplinary seminar on these issues, the aim of this project is to generate a set of theories, frameworks and proposals that investigate, in a coordinated and complementary way, issues related to why, how, and under what circumstances religion contributes to intergroup conflict, on the one hand, and intergroup peace, on the other. The project aims to develop a theory- and data-based model of the factors and processes that create conflict. It then “injects” into this model a consideration of how religious discourse, practice, community, and institutions may facilitate or inhibit these conflict mechanisms. The goal is a conceptual model, representing an interlinked set of hypotheses, that offers predictions about where, how, under what circumstances and for whom religion-influenced conflict could emerge.

Principal Investigator and Project Director

Steven Neuberg, Department of Psychology

Co-principal Investigators and Project Team

Benjamin Broome, Hugh Downs School of Human Communication

Roger Millsap, Department of Psychology

David Schaefer, School of Social and Family Dynamics

Thomas Taylor, School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences

George Thomas, School of Politics and Global Studies

Carolyn Warner, School of Politics and Global Studies

Michael Winkelman, School of Human Evolution and Social Change

research thatadvances knowledge through cross-disciplinary engagement

develops new strategies and policy insightcreates international networks

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The Role of Religious Beliefs in Generosity

Funder: Science of Generosity Initiative, John Templeton Foundation

Common sense suggests that the more generous a society is, the more peaceful it is—and empirical evidence shows that charitable giving across the world is heavily dependent upon the generosity of the major world religions. But outside of a narrow set of studies on Protestant denominations in the United States, the mechanisms that cause believers and organizations to give are not well understood.

What specific religious beliefs and institutions promote generosity? Do these vary across religious traditions? Do religions promote generosity toward their own members as well as others, or do religions tend to favor members of their own community? How, if at all, do taxation, social welfare arrangements and religion-state regulations affect the generosity of adherents of different religions?

This project aims to answer these questions through a comparative study of Catholics and Muslims in Europe—religions that claim 1.1 billion and 1.5 billion adherents worldwide. By combining insight and methods from the disciplines of political science and social psychology, this project has significant policy ramifications. In addition to providing critical theoretical tests, this project also provides new insight into the types of interventions that might be relevant to increasing generosity.

Principal Investigator and Project Director

Carolyn Warner, School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University

Co-principal Investigators and Project TeamAdam Cohen, Department of Psychology, Arizona State UniversityRamazan Kilinc, Department of Political Science, Michigan State University

Ethnic and Religious Influences on Forgiveness for Mass Atrocities

Funder: National Science Foundation

Human history is replete with examples of groups committing mass atrocities against each other. The effects of some of the more recent such as the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide committed by the Turks, and slavery in the United States can still be felt today. The scars from these tragedies run deep and across generations, with the capacity to breed negative emotions and mistrust that can prevent positive intergroup relations and exacerbate conflict between groups. Is forgiveness possible in such a situation? If so, how? In what ways do religious and ethnic identities play a part?

The goal of this project is to generate new data-based insights into the role that ethnic and religious identities play in intergroup relations as well as enhancing understanding of a set of processes that have direct implications for the lives of individuals and groups across the globe.

Principal Investigator and Project Director

Adam Cohen, Department of Psychology, Arizona State University

Co-principal Investigators and Project TeamJoel Gereboff, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, Arizona State UniversityMoses Moore, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, Arizona State UniversityAra Norenzayan, Psychology Department, University of British ColumbiaSteve Neuberg, Psychology Department, Arizona State University

Facing the Challenges of Transhumanism: Religion, Science, Technology

Funder: Metanexus Institute/John Templeton Foundation

Humanity stands at the precipice of a new phase in human evolution. Referred to as “posthumanism” or “transhumanism,” this new phase is emerging due to the confluence of new developments in the life sciences (e.g., genomics, stem–cell research, genetic enhancement, germ–line engineering,), technology (i.e., robotics, nanotechnology, pattern recognition technologies), and neurosciences (e.g., neuro–pharmacology and artificial intelligence). Today human beings are not only able to enhance their own performance and make important strides against devastating diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and AIDS, but also to endow humanly–engineered traits to future generations. The new technologies may be able to produce human beings with enhanced capabilities who will live longer and provide the capacity to create and modify (i.e., clone and engineer) all forms of life.

In the transhuman phase, humans will become their own makers, transforming their environment and themselves. Proponents of transhumanism believe that advances in robotics, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence and genomics will liberate humanity from pain and suffering. Presumably, in the transhuman age humanity will conquer the problems of aging, disease, poverty, and hunger, finally actualizing happiness in this life.

Yet, many people, especially those committed to a religious outlook, intuitively recoil from the transhuman vision and find within that vision an affront to human dignity. It is precisely the belief that humans are created by God in the image of God that leads many people (including religious scientists) to resist the transhuman vision as a new hubris that will destroy humanity by “redefining” it, and further endanger life on our vulnerable planet through unforeseeable consequences. They argue that

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transhumanism promotes a utopian vision rooted in a host of unstated assumptions about the meaning of being human.

To face the challenges of transhumanism, this project engaged an interdisciplinary group of faculty in a six-year seminar that debated the complex religious, philosophical, social, environmental, cultural, legal and policy issues. Over the course of the project, the seminar engaged visiting scholars and practitioners through workshops and conferences, and engaged the public through a series of public lectures titled “The Templeton Research Lectures at ASU: Facing the Challenges of Transhumanism.” By taking an interdisciplinary approach, the project did not treat ‘science’ and ‘religion’ as two reified a–historical categories, thus avoiding the pitfalls of seeing them as necessarily in conflict with each other or as separate and unrelated spheres. Rather, by taking an interdisciplinary approach that was attentive to culture, social institutions, and history, the project produced a series of ground-breaking books on the challenges of transhumanism.

Principal Investigator and Project Director

Hava Tirosh-Samuelson, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies and Director of Jewish Studies, Arizona State University

Seminar Members (2006-2011)Brad Allenby, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment and Sandra Day O’Connor College of LawAndrew Askland, Sandra Day O’Connor College of LawStephen Batalden, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious StudiesLinell Cady, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies and Director of the Center of the Study of Religion and ConflictGuy Cardineau, School of Life SciencesEugene Clay, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious StudiesAdam Cohen, Department of PsychologyJerry Coursen, Harrington Department of BioengineeringBrian Gratton, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious StudiesTed Guleserian, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious StudiesDavid Guston, Consortium for Science, Policy and OutcomesSteven Hoffman, School of Life SciencesDavid Kader, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

Marjorie Kornhauser, Sandra Day O’Connor College of LawBarry Leshowitz, Department of PsychologyGary Marchant, Sandra Day O’Connor College of LawJoan McGregor, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religions StudiesKenneth Mossman, School of Life SciencesCraig Nagoshi, Department of PsychologyJason Robert, School of Life SciencesBarry Ritchie, Department of PhysicsNorbert Samuelson, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious StudiesDaniel Sarewitz, Consortium for Science, Policy and OutcomesCynthia Selin, School of SustainabilityJameson Wetmore, School of Human Evolution and Social ChangeMichael White, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies and Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

Jewish Faith and Modern Science: On the Death and Rebirth of Jewish Philosophy (Rowman & Littlefield, 2008)Norbert M. Samuelson

H+/-: Transhumanism & Its Critics (Xlibris, 2011)Gregory Hansell and William Grassie (editors)

The Techno-Human Condition (MIT Press, 2011)Braden R. Allenby and Daniel Sarewitz

Building Better Humans?: Refocusing the Debate on Transhumanism (Peter Lang International)Hava Tirosh-Samuelson and Kenneth Mossman (editors)

Forthcoming:Designing Our Destiny: Directed Evolution and the Human Future (John Hopkins Press)Maxwell J. Mehlman

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“ We didn’t approach the film trying to say this side was right and this side was wrong…Given the pain and loss, we were amazed to find people who were willing to move past that and find a way to end the cycle of violence. And they did it by finding common ground in the non-violence movement.”

— Jim Hanon, writer and director, “Little Town of Bethlehem,” who spoke at the April 14 film festival and symposium, “Living Conflicts in India, Pakistan, Israel and Palestine: Religion, Secularism and the Search for Peace.”

“ Conflict is not really that difficult to teach about…what is difficult to teach is peace, as that is something that humanity has rarely seen…”

— Michael M. Crow, President of Arizona State University, at the launch of the Hardt-Nickachos Peace Studies Initiative, September 29, 2010.

“ I think what distinguishes religious women peace-makers from secular and traditional approaches are the sources of inspiration, their faith and spirituality…many of these women see their peace work as a service to God which keeps them motivated to continue despite the challenges they face. What makes religious women’s peace making different is their unique experiences…in some cases, their marginalization from formal mechanisms. These experiences lead them to develop a unique perspective on issues relating to peacemaking.”

— Ayse Kadayifci-Orellana , founder and associate director of the Salaam Institute for Peace and Justice and a faculty member in peace and conflict resolution at American University (Washington), who presented as part of the conference “Women, Islam and Peacebuilding” held at the Center from March 10-11, 2011. The conference brought together an international group of scholars and practitioners from across the Muslim world. Papers from the conference are currently being edited for publication.

“ One of the most important features of the late modern and post secular world is the place and role of religion. Though long assumed in the West to be a relic of an earlier epic and of past regimes, religion, as sacred cosmology, and the communities and practices that embody them, is a central and now enduring part of an ongoing legitimation crisis…Religion is part and parcel of the intractable dynamics of late modern pluralism and as such, it deepens conflicts, partly by grounding competing claims of legitimacy in the symbols of transcendence…”

— James Davison Hunter, Labrosse-Levinson Distinguished Professor of Religion, Culture, and Social Theory at the University of Virginia and Executive Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture discussing the current state of religion and politics in American life, with Alan Wolfe, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College and Linell Cady, Dean’s Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, as part of the center’s, “Religion and Conflict: Alternative Visions Lecture Series” in October 2010.

programs that explore the relationship between religion, society and culture

enrich the life of the campus and community deepen global understanding

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“ What I discovered is that the most important and overlooked religious conflicts of our times are those within religions, not between them. Between Christian and Christian and between Muslim and Muslim over who has the right to speak for God, who is a true believer and who is not…No religious community or tradition has a monopoly on religious violence.”

— Eliza Griswold, foreign correspondent, Schwartz Fellow at the New America Foundation, and author of “The Tenth Parallel: Dispatches from the Fault Line Between Christianity and Islam,” speaking as the 2010 Maxine and Jonathan Marshall Speaker on Religion and Conflict.

“ In the last 50 years we’ve seen the rise of a political narrative, political Islamism, which has equated women’s rights with negative things…yet women are finding a new language. It’s actually not even that new, this is a language that goes back centuries, it’s a language of Islamic feminism, where Muslim women say we want our rights, not because of some universal rights declaration, not because of what the West is telling us, not because of something we’re seeing on TV that’s inauthentic to our own society, we want our rights because they are culturally a part of our tradition and of our religion. It just hasn’t been practiced that way in a very long time.”

— Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women are Transforming the Middle East, speaking as part of the “Religion and Conflict: Alternative Visions” lecture series on March 31, 2011.

programs that explore the relationship between religion, society and culture

enrich the life of the campus and community deepen global understanding

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UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWS PROGRAM

An outstanding group of students is selected each year to participate in the Center’s Undergraduate Research Fellows Program. The program features an enriched seminar experience that includes working directly with faculty on research projects related to religion and conflict and learning from visiting scholars and practitioners. Fellows are also awarded scholarships made possible through annual gifts to the Friends of the Center.

Undergraduate Research Fellows, 2010-11

Nesima AberraMajors: Journalism, Mass CommunicationsFaculty Mentor: Mark Lussier, Professor of EnglishProject: “Romantic Dharma: The Emergence of Buddhism in Nineteenth-Century Europe”

Cameron BeanMajors: Political Science, SociologyFaculty Mentor: Mark Woodward, Associate Professor of Religious StudiesProject: “Finding Allies for the War of Words: Mapping the Diffusion and Influence of Counter Radical Muslim Discourse”

Anna BethancourtMajor: EnglishFaculty Mentor: Victor Peskin, Assistant Professor of Global StudiesProject: “Post Conflict Reconciliation in Former Yugoslav States”

Rachel BishopMajors: Global Studies, Religious StudiesFaculty Mentor: John Carlson, Assistant Professor of Religious StudiesProject: “Religion and Violence in American History”

Alli CoritzMajors: Religious Studies, Global StudiesFaculty Mentor: Barton Lee, Faculty Associate of Jewish StudiesProject: “Derekh Eretz: Moral Conduct in Jewish Law, Custom and Practice”.

Nahid HiermandiMajor: Global HealthFaculty Mentor: Owen Anderson, Associate Professor of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies, West CampusProject: “Developing a New Textbook for Religion 100 Classes”

Tye RabensMajors: Journalism, EnglishFaculty Mentor: Abdullahi Gallab, Assistant Professor of African and African-American Studies and Religious StudiesProject: “‘Signposts’ in the Track of Global Jihad”

Jenny ReichMajor: Religious StudiesFaculty Mentor: Abdullahi Gallab, Assistant Professor of African and African-American Studies and Religious StudiesProject: “‘Signposts’ in the Track of Global Jihad”

Bryan TomMajors: Economics, Political Science)Faculty Mentor: Mark Woodward, Associate Professor of Religious StudiesProject: “Finding Allies for the War of Words: Mapping the Diffusion and Influence of Counter Radical Muslim Discourse”

Levi WolfMajors: Geography, Political ScienceFaculty Mentor: Eugene Clay, Associate Professor of Religious StudiesProject: “Interconfessional Conflict in Russia, 1900-2002”.

education that deepens global understanding

inspires new approaches to religiously-charged conflictteaches peace

“ I expected to get an interesting opportunity to research contemporary issues relevant to religion, geography, and politics. However, the fellowship provided much more than the research. The seminar was enlightening and engaging, providing me with an opportunity to connect with a diverse population of students all interested in roughly the same subjects in a tight-knit forum…the seminar benefited me immensely.”

“ I particularly enjoyed being able to talk with authors about their work when they came to our class. Those opportunities to interact with the scholars were incredibly interesting and a rare opportunity for undergraduate students.”

“ I loved my research placement. [The professor I worked with] is a wonderful mentor and he really helped me develop as a student. The work he assigned me was substantive, challenging, and interesting.”

“ Overall it was a class I would take over again in a heartbeat since it really is rare to be in such a small environment with the ability to speak with people from differing academic backgrounds!”

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education that deepens global understanding

inspires new approaches to religiously-charged conflictteaches peace

Center Fellow wins Truman Award

Helping a Bhutanese refugee family when she was an ASU freshman sparked a passionate interest in human rights for Danielle Bäck. Her desire intensified as she became more involved in student justice organizations.

Last year she founded the ASU Coalition for Human Rights, mobilizing a dozen different student groups to coordinate their far-flung efforts. Now the ASU economics junior and former undergraduate research fellow with the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict has won a Truman Scholarship, the nation’s highest undergraduate leadership award.

The $30,000 award is given to about 60 college juniors each year who show outstanding leadership potential, intellectual ability and the likelihood of “making a difference” in a career in public service. ASU has had 17 Truman Scholars in the past 20 years, one of the best records of any public university.

Bäck grew up in Chandler, the daughter of a Lutheran minister who also is a psychiatric nurse. This piqued her interest in medicine, and as she got more involved at ASU she became aware of how much public health and human rights are intertwined, especially in developing nations.

Thanks to a Flinn Scholarship and programs like the Center’s Hardt Scholarship in Religion, Conflict and Peace Studies, Bäck has been able to travel and study in the Middle East and Africa during breaks from school, including her work with the Interfaith Peace-Builders Delegation in Israel and the West Bank in the summer of 2010, which affected her deeply.

“Seeing Israelis and Palestinians protesting together was transformative for me,” she said. “Because of the blockade on Gaza, 80 percent of the people in Gaza are dependent on the United Nations for food, and there are shortages of necessary medical supplies. Patients are prevented from leaving to receive specialized treatment, and doctors are often denied requests to receive additional

training abroad. The medical system is on the brink of collapse.”

A core component of Bäck’s approach to social transformation is non-violence, a topic she was able to delve into as part of the Center’s undergraduate research fellows program. One of the speakers that students met that year was Sharon Nepsted, a professor from the University of New Mexico who delivered the center’s Annual Lecture in Religion, Conflict and Peace Studies that year.

“After hearing Dr. Nepsted’s talk on the role of religious non-violent movements in bringing about peaceful change,” she said, “I have been determined to learn all I can about them, especially in the Middle East where such groups do not get media attention.”

During her undergraduate fellowship with the Center, Bäck carried out research related to gender, human rights, and polygamy in Southeast Asia as part of a project on Muslim counter-radical discourse directed by Mark Woodward, an associate professor of religious studies and faculty affiliate with the Center.

After graduate school, Bäck plans to work with a public health organization in the Middle East, eventually taking a leadership position within an international health organization such as Doctors Without Borders or Physicians for Human Rights.

Speaking passionately about her generation’s future at the Center’s Fall 2010 event, “How Do We Teach Peace?,” Bäck’s said, “we in the U.S. can use non-violence and socially responsible investing to promote human rights, advocating for sustainable solutions to help stop human rights abuses around the world.” Sara Auffret, ASU News, with additional reporting by Alli Coritz.

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Undergraduate Certificate in Religion and Conflict

The undergraduate certificate program allows students from any major to pursue a cross-disciplinary program of study. Established with support from the Ford Foundation, the program includes courses from faculty in ten different fields of study, including such topics as “Religion, Violence and Conflict Resolution,” “Religion, Ethics and International Affairs,” “National Security and International Terrorism, and “Gandhi and the Politics of Non-violence.”

The program began awarding certificates in 2009 and since then has graduated 34 students, including the following students who earned certificates in 2010-11:• Emily Adams (Political Science and

Religious Studies)• Ibrahim Birgeoglu (Political Science)• Alli Coritz, (Global Studies, Religious

Studies and Geography)• Melody Dernocoeur (Global Studies)

• Dimple Dhanani (Religious Studies)• Shana Dominguez (Religion and Applied

Ethics)• Aria Gehrmann (Women and Gender

Studies)• Nicole Gordon (Religious Studies)• Summer Kamal (Political Science• Kaitlin Keirsted (Global Studies)• Vanessa Miranda (Justice Studies)• Max Pardo (Global Studies)• Robert Pavlovic (History)• Derek Schuttpelz (Religious Studies)• Alicia Somsen (Religious Studies)• Christen White (Anthropology and

Religious Studies)• Micah Wimmer (Chemistry)• Zackary Withers (Religion and Applied

Ethics)

Friends of the Center provide

annual gifts to help support

the research and education

initiatives of the Center for the

Study of Religion and Conflict.

Gifts to the Friends of the

Center help expand student

fellowship programs; bring

innovative scholars, writers

and practitioners to campus;

and help build a network for

research and dissemination

that includes students, faculty,

professionals, practitioners and

policy experts.

The Center thanks the many

friends that contributed to our

sustained progress during the

2010-11 academic year.

Lifetime FriendsAnn HardtStan and Tochia LevineMaxine and Jonathan MarshallJohn and Dee Whiteman

Platinum (up to $25,000)Tom and Ruth Ann HornadayDoug and Becky PruittLisa Watkins and Linda Brock

Gold (up to $2,500)George Cady Jr.Perry and Margaret GoochJerry HirschRichard and Sally LehmannKevin and Yolanda McAuliffeRichard and Elaine MorrisonJohn Roberts

Maroon (up to $1000)William and Susan AhearnLinell CadyEdward ChulewSandy LambertDavid C. LincolnDonald and Irene LubinHarold and Doreen SafersteinTom and Vicki TaradashGene and Cooky Tarkoff

Silver (up to $250)Barbara and Thomas AllenHank BregmanRobert and Ruth BruntonPeter and Alice BuseckMartha J. CampbellJane CanbyJohn CarlsonCharles CoronellaJohn R. CroninCarolyn ForbesMary Anna FriederichRobert Hardy and Inez CasianoSol JaffeDale M. KalikaPamela KeatingMarlene MaddaloneDorothy & Jerry McAdenBudd PeabodyRoselyn O’ConnellCarol RoseHerb and Laura RoskindWarren & Martha SalingerRonald F. SassanoCarl J. SchneiderMarjorie ThorntonRoberta Van der WaldeGwen WilliamsRobin Wright

Investing in the Center has a

positive impact on students,

faculty, and the community. Join

online at asufoundation.org/

religionandconflict.

All funds are deposited with the ASU Foundation for a New American University, a separate non-profit organization that exists to support ASU. Your gift may be considered a charitable contribution. Please consult with your tax advisor regarding the deductibility of charitable contributions.

friends of the center for the study of religion and conflict

John and Dee Whiteman have a passion for education. Well known for their commitment to learning at every age, the Whitemans award an annual grant to the Center in support of the “Alternative Visions” lecture series. “Our goal,” said Dee Whiteman, “is to see opportunities created for students and the public to hear about what is going on around the globe from those at the cutting edge of understanding these conflicts. We believe strongly in education and what the Center is doing.”

Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict

PO Box 870802 | Tempe, AZ 85287-0802480.965.7187 | 480.965.9611 (fax)

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