Thematic Approach

GIRES, the Global Institute for Research, Education & Scholarship creates a welcoming space for discussion and exploration of the complicated relations between religion and politics in the United States.

“The United States is both remarkably religious and remarkably secular”. Although the US is a pluralist democracy, known for its multicultural identity, the role of religion has been crucial in the formation of the nation’s identity and history, proving that the relationship between religion and politics is extremely complex and delicate.

Our new international conference seeks to bring together scholars from different countries who research a variety of topics related to the interactions between religion and politics in the United States from various perspectives. We define the terms “religion” and “politics” broadly and welcome all topics related to the way religion shapes politics or politics shapes religion. We want to examine how the two conflict, collaborate, or otherwise influence each other. The conference will explore the intersections between religion and politics in both historical and contemporary contexts.

We intend to create a space for interdisciplinary conversation. Thus, we invite submissions that address questions across a broad range of theoretical and methodological approaches – not only those of political science, but also of history, law, philosophy, religious studies, international relations, theology, sociology, minority studies, immigration studies, cultural studies, and/or psychology.

Proposed Topics (Lingua franca: English)

-Religion in American elections
-Religion and American foreign policy
-Religion in the early Republic
-Religion in the political thought of the Founding Fathers
-Religious clauses of the First Amendment: interpretations and contemporary controversies
-American Civil Religion – history and evolution
-Religious interest groups in the United States
-The evangelical vote
-The American Religious Right
-Culture wars in the American society
-Progressive Evangelicals and US politics
-The Religious Left
-Religious fundamentalisms in the Unites States
-Religious minorities’ rights and protections
-The role of religious minorities in American politics
-The political dynamics of religious pluralism in the United States
-Inter-denominational relations and their effects on politics
-Religious values and political stability of civil society
-Religion as a threat to contemporary civil society or the promise of protecting its liberal democratic character ?
-The role of Christianity in nationalism and neoliberalism
-Christian nationalism
-Conservative/liberal divisions within American religions
-Religion and immigration policies
-Religious freedom
-Constitutional and legal issues
-Instrumental use of religion in American politics
-Religion and populism
-The political role of the Black Church: past and present
-The influence of religion on international relations
-Secularization, privatization of religion, de-privatization of religion, post-secularism
-Psychology of religion and politics

Proposed Formats

*Individually submitted papers (organized into panels by the GIRES committee)
*Panels (3-4 individual papers)
*Roundtable discussions (led by one of the presenters)
*Posters

Publication Opportunity
The Organizing Committee and GIRES Press will publish the most powerful and dynamic presentations of the conference and include them in a collective volume in the form of short articles and/or long essays.For more information/clarifications please contact us.

Our proposed topics & formats are not restrictive and we invite additional germane ideas.
Due to the restrictions of Corona Crisis our event (for the time being) will take place virtually