An international conference, 6-8 October 2007 at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

This conference aims to contribute to a better understanding of the genealogy of “religious violence” by exploring the diverse discourses of its ethnic, linguistic, and political roots in the Mediterranean world from the early Roman period until the rise of Islam (circa 150 BCE to 750 CE). Indeed, we propose that our notion of religious violence is inextricably linked to the specific histories of inter-communal antagonism in the formative periods of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in their various forms.

Participating scholars of Judaism, early Christianity, Islam, and Roman religions will include Bruce Lincoln (University of Chicago; keynote speaker), Clifford Ando (University of Chicago), Beth Berkowitz (Jewish Theological Seminary), Ra‘anan Boustan (University of California, Los Angeles), David Cook (Rice University), Natalie Dohrmann (University of Pennsylvania), David Frankfurtur (University of New Hampshire), Paula Fredricken (Boston University), Chris Frilingos (Michigan State University), Andrew Gallia (University of Minnesota), Jennifer Glancy (LeMoyne College), Alex Jassen (University of Minnesota), Hermann Lichtenberger (Everhard-Karls-Universität, Tübingen), Shelly Matthews (Furman University), Margaret M. Mitchell (University of Chicago), Lauren Monroe (Cornell University), Laura S. Nasrallah (Harvard Divinity School), Carol Newsom (Emory University), Cal Roetzel (University of Minnesota), Celia E. Schultz (Yale University), Brent D. Shaw (Princeton University), Tom Sizgorich (University of New Mexico), and Steve Weitzman (Indiana University). Abstracts of the papers to be presented are available at the website given below.

Information and registration is available at www.sanctifiedviolence.umn.edu. Contact Kate Gallagher at svc@umn.edu with any questions.

Although the presenters have already been selected, please consider attending this important conference.