Islam, Catholicism, and the Secular: A Conversation with José Casanova and Abdolkarim Soroush

Two leading contemporary thinkers, José Casanova and Abdolkarim Soroush, explored the role of religion in politics in a public conversation on Tuesday, January 15. The event looked to address the central contemporary challenge of how to create and maintain open, democratic societies in a globalizing world marked by growing cultural and religious pluralism. Both scholars have joined the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University: Casanova as a Senior Fellow and Professor of Sociology, and Soroush as a Fellow and Visiting Scholar. Berkley Center Director Tom Banchoff moderated the conversation.

The event explored the following questions:

What is the proper relationship between religious and secular knowledge and authority?
What tensions exist between religious traditions and communities, on the one hand, and the secular institutions of state, law, democracy, and markets, on the other?

With the worldwide resurgence of religion in politics and society these questions have taken on greater urgency. They link back to old theoretical debates but also point to a central contemporary challenge: how to create and maintain open, democratic societies in a globalizing world marked by growing cultural and religious pluralism. The challenge is particularly acute for Catholic Christianity and for Islam, which have traditionally supported a prominent role for religion in public affairs.