Description

Noting that theological voices are often oddly absent from academic and public considerations of political religion, a growing and interdisciplinary network of scholars is dedicated to exploring the intersection of religious and political ideas under the rubric of “political theology.”  While historically the term has been used by both secular theorists and Christian theologians, in recent years “political theology” has come to name a pluralistic intellectual space where secular and religious thinking overlap, and where thinkers from multiple religious traditions engage in practical and theoretical inquiry alongside scholars (religious or otherwise) in anthropology, history, political science, literature, philosophy and other academic disciplines.  The journal  Political Theology , currently based at Villanova University, has been published since 1999, and its editorial board includes a broad and interdisciplinary range of leading thinkers and scholars, including former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, gender theorist Judith Butler, law professor Paul Kahn, and theologian Miroslav Volf. 
In 2016, the journal’s editors, along with other scholars within the network, approached the Theology Program in search of support for their efforts to build upon the journal’s work and several other initiatives underway at multiple universities. Following a series of consultations, the Program recommended a grant of $200,000, approved by the board in March of 2017. Based at Villanova University, the project has aimed to enrich religious and secular discussions about religion and politics, to create possibilities for more fruitful interreligious exchange, and to support religious leaders and public intellectuals engaged with theology’s political significance. It has been robustly multi-institutional in scope, including partnerships with Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, the University of Chicago, Columbia University, Union Theological Seminary, the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School, and Stanford University’s Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, as well as other research universities, divinity schools and seminaries.
Villanova now seeks renewed funding for this work. In addition to providing continued support for core activities of the network—including a biennial meeting and an online publication—a grant would focus in particular on support for emerging scholars. Through an open call for applications, the network’s leaders will identify likely leaders of the next generation of scholarship, drawing them together for regular gatherings, and developing mentoring relationships with more established scholars. Eligible participants will have completed their Ph.D. within the last four years, and will include a mix of theologians, religious studies scholars, and scholars from a range of other fields. Two senior scholars will serve as mentors to each cohort. In addition to cross-disciplinary exchanges about work-in-progress, gatherings will include meetings with religious leaders, journalists and non-profit leaders, and trainings dedicated to both professional development and public scholarship. 
The Luce Foundation’s grant would provide support for regular workshops, as well as honoraria for emerging scholars and senior mentors. The Foundation’s grant would also provide partial and continued support for the network’s digital publication, for a series of collaborative events with community partners, for graduate students and contingent faculty members to attend the network’s biennial conferences, and for ongoing leadership of, and administrative support for, the network and its activities.