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Negotiating Religion

10 February 2012, 12:00 am

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Workshop 2: Constitutional and Philosophical Dimensions

10 February 2012

Workshop 2:
Accommodating Religious Communities in Contemporary Europe - Constitutional and Philosophical Dimensions

10 February 2012
10am-7pm

Old Refectory
UCL Main Campus
WC1E 6BT

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Workshop 2: Accommodating Religious Communities in Contemporary Europe - Constitutional and Philosophical Dimensions

This workshop will examine the character of the contemporary European state in its relation with religions and religious pluralism, and the general policies developed by states to address religious affairs. With an increasing diversity in attitudes towards religious commitments manifest in today's Europe, liberal democratic governments are increasingly under pressure to define how they should accommodate their citizens qua religious believers or non-believers. The key questions which the state - in principle regarded perhaps by most as a secular and neutral authority - faces regard the extent to which policies are to address religious communities and their demands. How are majority religions - established churches - enshrined within constitutional settlements and what implications does that have for the secularist attributes of modern European states? Is a minimum common denominator of liberal toleration of all religions sufficient? Can the state truly aspire to a universally accepted neutrality or will its secularity be regarded by the religious as fundamentally hostile to religions whatever is claimed to the contrary? Should the state attribute special rights to religious groups, particularly where they are minority communities facing assimilationist pressures, or grant formal recognition to them?

Sessions will examine the phenomenon of church establishment in Europe generally (John Madeley, LSE) and in the UK in particular (Bob Morris, UCL, with discussants Jim Beckford, Warwick, and Lucian Leustean, Aston), and how far multiple religious jurisdictions may be tolerated (Gillian Douglas, Cardiff, with discussants Mark Hill QC and Frank Cranmer, Durham).

Concentrating on the philosophical and legal dimensions will be sessions considering how far liberal democratic states can and/or ought to follow policies of religious neutrality (Lorenzo Zucca, KCL and Saladin Meckled-Garcia, with Ronan McCrea, UCL, as discussant), and how far religious exemptions may be justified (Stuart White, Oxford, and Jonathan Seglow, Royal Holloway, with discussant Jonathan Quong, Manchester).

PROGRAMME:

10.00-11.15 Six degrees of separation? Variants of religious establishment in Europe
Speakers
Mr John Madeley (LSE), Dr Robert Morris (UCL)
Discussants
Professor Jim Beckford (Warwick), Dr Lucian Leustean (Aston)
11:15-11:45 Coffee break
11:45-13:00
Testing the Limits: Religion and Constitutional Neutrality
Speakers Dr Lorenzo Zucca (King's College London)
'Exploring the Neutrality Dilemma'
  Dr Saladin Meckled-Garcia (UCL)
'What is Just Establishment?'
Discussant
Dr Ronan McCrea (UCL)
 Chair
Professor Cécile Laborde (UCL)
13:00-14:00 Lunch
14:00-15:15 Justifying Religious Exemptions
Speakers Dr Stuart White (Oxford University)
'Religious Exemptions: An Egalitarian Demand?'
  Dr Jonathan Seglow (Royal Holloway)
'Accommodating Religion: The Case of Legal Exemptions'
Discussant
Dr Jonathan Quong (Manchester)
Chair Professor John Horton (Keele)
15:15-15:45
Coffee break
15:45-17:00 Boundaries of Toleration: Moderating Multiple Religious Jurisdictions
Speaker
Professor Gillian Douglas (Cardiff)
Discussants
Mark Hill QC, Dr Frank Cranmer (Durham)
Chair
Professor Daniel Weinstock (Montréal)

Followed by a drinks reception. All participants welcome.


Conveners:
Prof Cécile Laborde (UCL School of Public Policy), Dr Robert Morris (UCL Constitution Unit), Dr Uta Staiger (UCL European Institute).

For further information on the individual sessions or the series as a whole, please contact: Dr François Guesnet or Dr Uta Staiger.


The series is coordinated by the European Institute and UCL's Research Initiative Religion and Society (supported by the Grand Challenge of Intercultural Interaction).

Throughout, the organisers hope to engage UCL's community in a discussion about what London's global university could or should contribute to a reflection of these issues as a leading institution in research and in higher education, and as an academic community.

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