Religious Resistance to Authoritarianism Conference

Thursday, December 4, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
At the Interchurch Center, 475 Riverside Drive

Click Here to Register

On December 4, the Interfaith Center of New York, Union Theological Seminary, The Riverside Church, The Beacon, and the Interfaith Alliance will convene diverse religious leaders, civic officials, community activists, and concerned New Yorkers to explore past and present examples of faith community resistance to authoritarian rule.  We will learn from the experiences of faith leaders and democratic movements around the world, in order to defend American democracy today.  The Religious Resistance to Authoritarianism conference will be 43rd meeting of ICNY’s long-running series of social justice conferences and retreats for religious and civic leaders.

Under the second Trump administration, we are witnessing a dangerous trend towards authoritarian rule in the United States.  It is often said that we are living in “unprecedented” times, but we can learn vital lessons for the work at hand from the successes and failures of faith leaders and communities around the world – for example, in Turkey under Recep Tayyip Erdogan; in Latin America during the military juntas of the 1960s-1980s; and in the U.S. itself during Jim Crow and wartime Japanese incarceration.  At crucial moments like these, how did people of faith mobilize – or fail to mobilize – broad-based resistance to authoritarian regimes?  How did they build interfaith and cross-sector partnerships?  How did they draw on their ethical traditions to shape public narratives and sway public opinion?  A deeper knowledge of these histories can inform our efforts to defend American democracy today.

Please join us on December 4, to learn from the past, engage with the present, and build a better future.  The full-day conference program will include:

• keynote address by Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, leading scholar of authoritarianism and bestselling author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present
• panel discussion with diverse faith leaders exploring theologies of power and resistance, as well as practical strategies for resistance and community-building
• panel discussion with scholars and journalists exploring past and present examples of religious resistance, with vital lessons for Americans today
• facilitated working groups for relationship-building and practical planning – an opportunity to meet your neighbors and stand together against authoritarian­ism
• musical performances, featuring songs of resistance and resilience from diverse religious communities

Light breakfast, lunch, and coffee breaks will be provided for all participants, with kosher, halal, and vegetarian options available.  Please see the schedule below for details, and click here for directions to the Interchurch Center, 475 Riverside Drive (main entrance at 61 Claremont Avenue, between 119th & 120th Streets).

All are welcome, but there is a $20 registration fee.  These fees will cover a small portion of our expenses in planning and hosting the conference.  If the fee presents a financial hardship for you, please contact us at the email address below — cost should not be an obstacle to participation.  If you are able, please click here to make an additional contribution to support ICNY’s conferences for faith leaders and other aspects of our work.

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If you have any questions about the Religious Resistance to Authoritarianism conference, please email ICNY’s Director of Programs Dr. Henry Goldschmidt, at henry@interfaithcenter.org.