The Interdisciplinary Encounters in Religion, Law, and Ethics, a program within the Center in Law, Society and Culture presents

The Interdisciplinary Conference on Religion, Law, and Ethics

Friday, May 10, 2013
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Social and Behavioral Sciences Gateway, Room 1517

The study of religion has made a comeback in recent decades, as scholars have recognized religion’s continuing influence in the modern world. Current issues regarding security, immigration, and interfaith dialogue have encouraged this interest in religion and infused much of it with a sense of urgency. Despite this common trend, scholars of religion vary widely in their conclusions. Some warn of a global rise of religious violence, while others question the very usefulness of “religion” as a category. Clearly, there is much to debate.

This conference will focus on two broad themes. The first is religion and law. From British debates over Islamic law to the regulation of religious garb in France, the intersection between religion and law raises many questions. To what extent does law influence religion, and vice versa? Does the law privilege some religions over others? Can rights to religious freedom conflict with other rights?

These legal questions raise a host of ethical concerns. Moreover, religious activists and thinkers have contributed to ethical debates on topics ranging from bioethics to poverty to environmentalism. The intersection between religion and ethics forms the second theme.

Possible presentation topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Individual rights and religious group rights
• The moral value of secularism
• Religious law
• Theological approaches to contemporary moral problems
• Moral, legal, and political theory in classic religious thinkers
• Theism and metaethics

The conference will consist of a series of panels. We invite graduate students and faculty in all fields to submit presentation proposals.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Deadline for submission: March 3, 2013, 5pm PST
Send an attachment containing the following information to religion.law.ethics.conference@gmail.com:

1. Name
2. Institutional affiliation
3. Contact information (email, phone number, mailing address)
4. Title of presentation
5. Abstract (no more than 500 words)

Organizers will respond to submissions by March 15, 2013.

This conference is supported by the Center in Law, Society and Culture, Program of International Studies, and Religious Studies program at the University of California, Irvine.

For further information, please contact Sahar Khan, khansahar1@gmail.com.