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January 16, 2009

UC-Santa Barbara to examine religion’s impact on global human rights

by Cheryl Heckler
Ecumenical News International

OXFORD, OH ― The University of California in Santa Barbara will host what it says is a first-of-its-kind series of meetings between humanitarian organization leaders and scholars in international studies to examine the role of religion in human rights work around the globe.

The Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies at the university will conduct the research thanks to a $400,000 grant awarded by the Henry Luce Foundation.

The meetings will bring together non-governmental organization leaders and scholars from international affairs graduate programs in the United States and in Europe for a series of workshops, conferences, and public lectures to identify and address real-life issues connected to religion.

“Since religion plays such a vital role in world affairs, it is mandatory that we understand better how it both helps and hinders humanitarian efforts in building a global civil society,” said Mark Juergensmeyer, director of the Orfalea Center and an international expert on religious violence and conflict resolution who will lead the three-year project.
 
Juergensmeyer, a professor of global studies, sociology, and religious studies at the university, said the research findings will be widely available in different forms of media, including a book titled Handbook on Religion in Global Civil Society.

The university will host meetings focused on Africa, the Middle East, South and East Asia, and Latin America with the goal of creating partnerships between researchers and NGOs in these regions.

The project is part of the foundation’s Henry R. Luce Initiative on Religion and International Affairs, which seeks to deepen understanding of religion as a critical factor in international policy issues.