Figures of Authority: People · Texts · Traditions

The Jewish Studies Program co-sponsored a spring school, "Religion and the Culture of Democracy," in partnership with the Berlin Center for Intellectual Diaspora.

Exploring the emerging issues of growing civil distrust, political polarization, and decomposition of the public sphere as a place of recognition, the conference sought to recover the concept of authority in a "post-democratic" world. It did so by engaging with religious communities as a type of microcosm of the current crisis. 

Public lectures will be given Sunday through Thursday evenings.

Sunday, May 15

"Power and Anti-Authoritarianism: The Legacy of an Unfinished Project"

Monday, May 16

"Liberalism's Threshold: Authority and the Authoritarian"

Tuesday, May 17

"The Charisma of Tradition: On Religious Sources of Authority"

Wednesday, May 18

"Textual Reasoning: Historical and Religious Ramifications of the Concept of Authority"

Thursday, May 19

"Alternative Authorities: A Global Perspective"

For more information about the conference, please follow this link to the conference page. For inquiries, please contact jewishstudiesprogram@virginia.edu.