When is a Psychic or a Witch a Fraud? Reflections on Religious Fraud Investigations in North America

Does witchcraft, fortune-telling, or psychic healing constitute fraud, and (when) should the law step in to regulate these practices? Drawing on fieldwork with psychics in Sedona, Arizona, Dr Susannah Crockford considers recent witchcraft cases in Canada and the United States to argue against the framing of certain religious practice as inherently fraudulent. The news that …

Why Justice Requires More than a Verdict: Religion and Reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina

In today's blogpost Sanne Hupkes reflects on last week's events during the ICTY judgement of Ratko Mladic and the trial's implications on 'justice'. Sanne is a PHD student related to the Centre and her research focuses on the role of (power-sharing) democracy in peace operations and she is concerned with the place of (religious) collective identities within democracy …

Silent Borders

How does the law shape the category of (free) religion, and by which mechanisms does this shaping occur? Building on conversations started at the Centre for Religion, Conflict and Globalisation's recent conference, 'Reimagining Difference: Being, Thinking and Practicing Beyond Essentialism', this collaborative Religion Factor and Religion: Going Public blog series explores law's approach to - and creation of - religion and religious liberty. …

The Agency of Agencies: Bureaucracy and the Politics of Religious Freedom

How does the law shape the category of (free) religion, and by which mechanisms does this shaping occur? Building on conversations started at the Centre for Religion, Conflict and Globalisation's recent conference, 'Reimagining Difference: Being, Thinking and Practicing Beyond Essentialism', this collaborative Religion Factor and Religion: Going Public blog series explores law's approach to - …

Deus in Machina: How Bureaucrats Determine Religious Freedom

How does the law shape the category of (free) religion, and by which mechanisms does this shaping occur? Building on conversations started at the Centre for Religion, Conflict and Globalisation's recent conference, 'Reimagining Difference: Being, Thinking and Practicing Beyond Essentialism', this blog series explores law's approach to - and creation of - religion and religious …

Beyond religious freedom: the Rohingya and the politics of religious rights in Myanmar

In today's blogpost the key note speaker of our Jubilee Conference, Elizabeth Shakman Hurd explores the politics of religious difference and the problems and challenges raised by religious freedom in the protection of minorities through a case study of the Rohingya in Myanmar. Prof Hurd will be speaking on the topic of 'Thinking Differently about …

The quarter finals against populism: national identity in the Dutch elections

  Renée van der Harst - Wagenvoorde has written an analysis of the campaigning period  and how it differs from previous years of the Dutch parliamental elections that will take place on the 15th of March. Renée is a postdoctoral research fellow and the funding officer of the Centre of Religion and the Public Domain.  …

The ‘religion or secularism’ debate on women’s equality obscures the real problem: patriarchy

  Is ‘religion’ patriarchal, antithetical to gender equality? This was a question posed last night during the Centre for Religion, Conflict and the Public Domain #IWD2017 panel discussion on ‘Gender and Sexual Equality in a Post-Truth Age’. On International Women’s Day 2017, Erin K. Wilson explores this question, arguing that actually, this is the wrong …

Review ‘Reconciliation and Religio-political Non-conformism in Zimbabwe’

The day before Christmas we will conclude our series on Joram Tarusarira’s new book 'Reconciliation and Religio-political Non-conformism in Zimbabwe' (read the previous review here) with yet another review written by Vlado Kmec. Vlado currently works at the University of Cambridge and is a fellow of the CRCPD. He offers expertise to the Centre in religion and migration; religion …

Reconciliation and Religio-political non-conformism in Zimbabwe

Earlier this year, Joram Tarusarira published his important book that analyses religious actors and identifies a specific form of engagement that they display in contexts of peacebuilding and conflict transformation. Joram Tarisarira is a lecturer in Religion and Conflict and Deputy Director of the Centre for Religion, Conflict and the Public Domain, Faculty of Theology and Religious …