Religion and World Affairs Colloquium
Each year, CURA’s Religion and World Affairs Fellowship program brings together an interdisciplinary community of Boston-area graduate students and faculty. Once selected, CURA Fellows gather on the Boston University campus for bimonthly colloquium sessions throughout the academic school year to workshop papers that align with that year’s research focus. This program affords CURA fellows the opportunity to experience deep engagement with their research prior to submitting it for publication.
2024-2025 Colloquium on Religion, Nationalism, and Internationalism
In addition to bimonthly colloquium sessions to workshop papers, this year’s colloquium also includes events with some of the world’s leading scholars of religion, nationalism, and internationalism including Maya Tudor (Oxford University), Ruth Braunstein (University of Connecticut), and Dana Robert (Boston University).
Why Religion, Nationalism, and Internationalism?
Nationalism is an evergreen topic in the study of religion and world affairs. Whether the focus is White Christian nationalism and the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Jewish nationalism and the current genocide in Gaza, or Hindu nationalism and the breakdown of democracy in India, our world presents an unfortunately vast menu of demagogues mobilizing the masses through the discourse and institutions of religion. So, too, there are important counter-movements, resisting and reappropriating the symbols of religion and nation in order to celebrate democracy, diversity, and solidarity across religious divides. Likewise, beyond the state a parallel set of traditions –Christian internationalism, Muslim internationalism, Black internationalism, etc. – are working toward international cooperation through shared and intersectional visions. What is the relationship between religion, nationalism, and internationalism? What resources might these traditions offer in resisting nationalist projects? How are religion, nationalism, and internationalism changing the world, now?