Collective projects
Teaching Law & Religion Case Archive
This site offers free and open access resources and analysis of legal cases and associated background materials from different parts of the world. The cases feature different legal, political and religious institutions, histories and traditions. They provide templates for thinking creatively and comparatively about law, religion, culture and politics—and their complex intersections—in a variety of contexts. This project was designed and curated by Beth Hurd and Winnifred Sullivan, and maintained by Hurd.
Global Religion @NU
The Northwestern research group brings together faculty, postdocs, graduate students, undergraduates, visitors, and members of the Evanston and Chicago communities to host interdisciplinary conversations at the intersections of religion, law, politics and public life. This collaboration deepens and institutionalizes Northwestern’s distinctive approach to the study of religion in national and international politics, law and public life.
At Home and Abroad
The “Politics of Religion at Home and Abroad” project examined religion, law, and politics in the United States and U.S. foreign policy. It produced two volumes: At Home and Abroad: The Politics of American Religion (Columbia University Press) and the open access collection Theologies of American Exceptionalism (Indiana University Press). Directed by Beth Hurd and Winnifred Sullivan, the project was supported by the Henry Luce Foundation.
Politics of Religious Freedom
This project explored the concepts and practices that collect under the rubric of ‘religious freedom’ globally. It led to the publication of Politics of Religious Freedom (University of Chicago, 2015), a special issue of The South Atlantic Quarterly, a symposium in the Journal of Law and Religion, and a discussion series on The Immanent Frame. This project was directed by Beth Hurd, Winnifred Sullivan, Saba Mahmood and Peter Danchin.
Talking Religion
With the support of the Luce/ACLS Program in Religion, Journalism & International Affairs, the “Talking Religion: Publics, Politics, & the Media” project sought to connect scholars of religion and politics with journalists. This project was directed by Beth Hurd and Brannon Ingram.
Indigenous Religions
How are instances of Indigenous religions and related objects assembled, and what do they do? The GOVMAT project researches materialisations of Indigenous religions and their roles in contemporary politics.