The conference has concluded. To order the proceedings of the conference, whether in print in the special issue of Social Research in Winter, 2009 or as audio CDs, please visit the 'preorder proceedings' page above.

The conference explored the tension between religion and secularity in the United States, which is long-standing, widespread, and increasingly intense. This is evident in contemporary debates over such issues as evolution and intelligent design which challenge the traditional absence of religious discourse from education, in the increasing importance of religious priorities in political decision-making, in governmental reliance on spiritual or faith-based philanthropy, and on the role of faith-based communities in lobbying for legislation or bringing out the vote to elect candidates. Given the increasing number of calls we are hearing for lowering the “wall of separation” erected between church and state by our Constitution, the question at hand is whether we are experiencing a major shift in the role of religion in political decision making and in our lives.

These issues were addressed from the perspectives of religious studies, legal studies, political science, sociology, and philosophy. The keynote address will be delivered by Charles Taylor, Professor, Northwestern University.

Conference attendees could also register for a guided tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that was created for the conference. The tours of their permanent collection addressed the ways in which art has engaged questions of religion, spirituality, and secularism throughout history. The three tours were all one hour on Saturday, March 7th and $10 per person. Tickets included general admission to the museum.

This conference was made possible by generous support from the Russell Sage Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, and Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts.

The conference was co-directed by Arien Mack, Alfred and Monette Marrow Professor of Psychology at The New School for Social Research and editor of Social Research since 1970 and José Casanova, Professor of Sociology and Senior Fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University.

This conference is the 20th in the Social Research conference series, founded by Arien Mack in 1988. Social Resarch: An International Quarterly of the Social Sciences is the flagship journal of The New School for Social Research. For a list of over 70 degree programs at The New School, please visit the degree programs site. For a list of other events at The New School, please visit the university calendar. For general inforamtion about The New School visit the quick facts page. For the history of the conference series, visit the Social Research conference series site.