International Scholars to Discuss Religion, Justice and Violence

International scholars to discuss religion, justice and violence
Is religion for war or peace? In a public forum at the University Nov. 7, four internationally known scholars will focus on the topic. René Girard, Mark Juergensmeyer, Khaled Abou El Fadl and Danièle Hervieu-Leger will discuss how religion promotes both justice and violence in today’s world.

Girard, professor emeritus at Stanford University, has been widely influential with studies of violence and religion in the development of human culture. Girard’s books include “Violence and the Sacred” and “The Scapegoat.”

Abou El Fadl, professor of law at U.C.L.A. and a practicing lawyer, is a renowned expert and prominent public spokes- person on Islamic religion and law. He has been active in defending the rights of women, immigrants and political dissidents through Human Rights Watch and the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights.

A leading scholar on religion’s role today, Hervieu-Leger, professor at the Écoles des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris, will discuss the paradoxes of religious belief. Her research focuses on the decline of traditional religions in Europe, especially when Christianity is spreading elsewhere.

Juergensmeyer, professor of sociology and director of global studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara, has written several books on religion, nationalism and violence, including “Terror in the Mind of God.” He has interviewed religious militants and argues that many commit violent acts because they believe their communities’ values are being assaulted by outsiders.

The Levinson Lectures, endowed by Frank and Wynnette Levinson of Palo Alto, Calif., are presented by U.Va.’s Center on Religion and Democracy.