CURA Joins Pardee School
The Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs (CURA), a research center creating world-class scholarship on religion and global issues since 1986, has officially become an affiliated center of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University.
“I am delighted to have CURA join the Pardee School and its Division of Regional and Thematic Studies,” said Adil Najam, Dean of the Pardee School. “They bring with them a rich legacy of research on the role of religion in contemporary world affairs. They will add greatly to our existing strength on research that advances human progress.”
CURA began under the leadership of emeritus professor Peter Berger, and was honored by the Pew Charitable Trust in 1999 as a Global Center of Excellence for the study of religion and world affairs.
“We are the oldest center for research and programs in religion and world affairs in North America,” said Robert Hefner, Director of CURA. “Our role at Boston University has been to contribute to the formation of a network of scholars on these topics, which are increasingly responsible for shaping the world.”
“Our affiliation with the Pardee School puts our programs in a dialogue with other area studies centers, and gives us a chance to create new, positive synergies,” Hefner said. “The Pardee School’s vision of itself as a place for research and knowledge is an institutional mission very dear to our hearts.”
CURA officially came under the Pardee School’s umbrella in February 2015.
“The Pardee School is an excellent fit both structurally and programmatically for the Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs,” said Gloria Waters, BU Vice President and Associate Provost for Research. “I am certain that this move will result in even greater collaboration with other Centers and faculty members in the Pardee School and will further enhance the work and stature of the Institute.”
CURA is planning to organize its activities in the next year along themes of interest to others in the Pardee School, including the theme of youth in the Muslim world, which is the subject of a major conference to be held at the Pardee School in April 2015 and for which CURA is one of the sponsors along with others.
“CURA is a highly respected center for the interdisciplinary study of religion,” said Tim Longman, chair of the council of directors for the Division of Regional Studies. “CURA strengthens the Pardee School’s ability offerings on world religions making us among the top schools in the country studying the role of religion in international affairs.”
The next CURA event will be a lecture at the Pardee School’s 121 Bay State Road location on March 16 entitled, “Crones, Slaves and the Caliph’s Daughter: The Complexities of Gender in Pre-Modern Legal Texts.”