Jocelyne Cesari

Jocelyne Cesari

T. J. Dermot Dunphy Visiting Professor of Religion, Violence, and Peacebuilding
Jocelyne Cesari

Profile

Jocelyne Cesari holds the Chair of Religion and Politics at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. At Georgetown University, she is a senior fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. Since 2018, she has been the T. J. Dermot Dunphy Visiting Professor of Religion, Violence, and Peacebuilding at Harvard Divinity School. President elect of the European Academy of Religion (2018-19), her work on religion and politics has garnered recognition and awards: 2020 Distinguished Scholar of the religion section of the International Studies Association, Distinguished Fellow of the Carnegie Council for Ethics and International Affairs and the Royal Society for Arts in the United Kingdom.

Her most recent publications are: We God’s People: Christianity, Islam and Hinduism in the World of Nations, (Cambridge University Press 2022), What is Political Islam? (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2018 book award of the International Studies Association); Islam, Gender and Democracy in a Comparative Perspective (Oxford University Press, 2017), co-authored with Jose Casanova.

Her recent achievements include: 

  • Elected Officer of the Council of the Scientific Society for the Study of Religion, 2021-26
  • Chair Elect of the Religion and IR Section of the International Studies Association (ISA), 2022-24
  • Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, London, 2017-Present
  • Distinguished Scholar of the Religion and International Relations Section of the ISA, 2020
  • Book Award of the Religion and IR Section of the International Studies Association, 2019
  • President-Elect of the European Academy of Religion, 2018-19
  • Professorial Fellow at the Institute for Religion, Politics and Society at the Australian Catholic  University, 2017-22
  • Nominated member of the Newsweek Expert Forum, 2021-Present

Fall 2023 Couse:

RELIGION AND the GOVERNANCE OF GLOBAL ISSUES 

COVID19 has painfully highlighted the failure of international organizations to provide a coherent and efficient response the pandemic, raising the issue of global governance to greater prominence than at any time since World War II and the formation of the United Nations. This situation has opened new venues and opportunities for religious groups to posit themselves as credible international collaborators in addressing issues that cut across national boundaries, including global health, the environment, and migration. This course offers an analysis of this new trend. It will assess critically the studies on the role of religion in conflict and peace building which has been the entry point on religion and global governance. It will then address the role of religious institutions issues of global governance: from pluralism, religious freedom, racial and sexual inequalities and climate change. It will examine across religious traditions the theological reflection on moral responsibility and community and the ongoing tensions between universalist claims and more reactionary stands. It will also study modes of action and evaluate the international influence of this particular message in different arenas and international political organizations: dealing with Mass destruction, Social inequalities, Racial and Gender Discriminations to explore the following questions: In which domain is the global moral message of religion more influential? How? Where and why does it create tensions. The approach will combine religious studies, theology and social sciences. 

This course is particularly relevant for students who intend to engage in an academic career in the study of religion and politics. It is also very suitable to those interested in professions at the interface of religion, law, policy-making both nationally and internationally. 

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