Jean Bethke Elshtain: The Engaged Mind
Democracy on Trial: Religion, Civil Society, and Democratic Theory
The second of four conferences in the series “The Engaged Mind,” reflecting on themes drawn from the work of Jean Bethke Elshtain. The series is underwritten by the McDonald Agape Foundation.
October 13-14, 2011
3rd Floor Lecture Hall
Divinity School
University of Chicago
Series Overview | Schedule | Past Conference
Conference Schedule
Thursday, October 13
1:00 p.m.: Registration opens for attendees
Welcome
Margaret M. Mitchell, Dean and Shailer Mathews Professor of New Testament and Early Christian Literature, The University of Chicago Divinity School
2:00 p.m. - Panel Session One
Chair and Respondent - Ruth Grant, Professor of Political Science and Philosophy and Senior Fellow, Kenan Institute for Ethics, Duke University
Peter Berkowitz, Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
"Striking the Balance: Burke's Blending of Liberty, Tradition, and Reform"
Francis Fukuyama, Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow, The Freeman Spogli Institute, Stanford University
"Civil Society and Political Society"
3:30 p.m. - Break
4:00 p.m. - Keynote session
"A Conversation with Jean Elshtain on Civil Society, Democracy, and Religion"
Nicholas Wolterstorff, Noah Porter Professor of Philosophical Theology Emeritus, Yale University, and Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, University of Virginia
Jean Bethke Elshtain, Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor of Social and Political Ethics in the Divinity School; also in the Department of Political Science and the Committee on International Relations at The University of Chicago
5:30 pm - Presentation of The National Endowment for Democracy's Democracy Service Medal to Dr. Elshtain.
Reception following
Friday, October 14
10:00 am – 12:00 pm - Panel Session Two
Chair and Respondent - Peter Steinfels, University Professor and Co-Director, Fordham University Center on Religion and Culture
Patrick Deneen, Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis Chair and Director, Tocqueville Forum on the Roots of American Democracy, Georgetown University
"Defending the Indefensible Liberal Consensus: The Tragic Moderation of Jean Bethke Elshtain"
Nancy Hirschmann, R. Jean Brownlee Endowed Term Professor, University of Pennsylvania
"'Reflections on Reflections: Democracy, Depression, and Disability,' Or: 'Jean Elshtain on Democracy, Despair, and Hope'"
Respondent – Linda McClain, Paul M. Siskind Research Scholar and Professor of Law, Boston University School of Law
12:00 – 1:30 pm - Lunch (on your own)
1:30 – 3:00 pm - Panel Session Three
Carl Gershman, President, National Endowment for Democracy
"Religion and Democracy: Beyond the Clash of Civilizations"
Martin Palouš, Director, Václav Havel Library, Prague and Senior Fellow, School of International and Public Affairs, Florida International University; Former Czech Ambassador to the United States and the United Nations
"Welcome in the Post-European Age!"
Respondent – Margaret O'Brien Steinfels, Journalist-in-Residence and Co-Director, Fordham University Center on Religion and Culture
3:00- 3:30 pm - Break
3:30 – 4:00 pm - Jean Elshtain: Response and Reflections
4:00 – 5:00 pm - Closing Session - Roundtable Q&A with all presenters
For more information, contact the conference coordinator, Debra Erickson, at engagedmind@gmail.com.
To register, please send your name, institutional affiliation (if any) and preferred e-mail address to engagedmind@gmail.com. Pre-registration is not required.
