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Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Daniel Washburn" <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: 13 December 2006 17:39:37 GMT
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Cumberland Lodge Forum
>
> Will it be possible to circulate this announcement on the list as  
> it may prove interesting to some members?
>
>
>
> ANNOUNCEMENT:
>
> Cumberland Lodge, an educational trust and former royal house in  
> Windsor, UK, will soon be hosting a residential forum called  
> “Religious Tradition and Innovation in the Post-Soviet World: a  
> case of revival or rejection?” The event will begin with afternoon  
> tea on Wednesday 31st January and will finish after lunch on Friday  
> 2nd February.  The Lodge particularly wishes to extend an  
> invitation to members of the academic community who are concerned  
> about the future development of Europe and the post-soviet world.
>
>
>
> About the Event:
>
> From Orthodox churches in Moscow and London to the Islamic  
> political party Hizb ut-Tahrir in the East End and Central Asia,  
> the post-soviet world is not contained by national borders – its  
> issues and religious concerns are quickly becoming our concerns.   
> As the EU expands eastward we will need to understand the culture  
> and faith of our new compatriots and neighbours.  This forum seeks  
> answers to a series of questions around the most pressing issues of  
> religious change.  Key speakers have been drawn from journalism,  
> politics, academia, law, arts, and religion.  It is a rare  
> opportunity that we are able to gather such an informed range of  
> expertise on this topic.  As such, the Lodge has taken care to  
> ensure that subsidized places will be available to students (£50),  
> clergy (£190), academic staff (£190) and others (£310).  Meals and  
> accommodation will be included.
>
>
>
> Conceptual Statement:
>
> Faith knows no borders, and yet it often becomes a principle factor  
> dividing groups, nations and religions.  Several instances of  
> intra- and inter- faith misunderstanding have arisen since the  
> demise of the Soviet Union.  The tensions that these  
> misunderstandings create often find expression in forms of anxiety,  
> nationalism, and xenophobia.  They are the observable symptoms in  
> the clash between tradition and innovation.
>
> As post-soviet states adapt to international conventions on human  
> rights – most of which place the individual prior to the group –  
> historic religious traditions such as orthodox communalism and  
> sharia law, frequently take issue with the projects of foreign  
> missionaries, laws on freedom of expression, western understanding  
> of the individual, and legal statutes protecting a plurality of  
> choice.  They must now contend with social and religious  
> innovations that undermine tradition, such as the debates  
> surrounding homosexual rights and women’s rights, as well as the  
> increasing appeal of non-abrahamic faiths.  Thus the revival of  
> religion in the post-soviet world takes place in a nexus where  
> traditions are not only constantly rejected and challenged by  
> innovation, but where “tradition” itself is resurrected for  
> innovative purposes, as in the building of national identities or  
> for claiming a connection with the pre-Christian past.
>
> This conference will debate the place of religious tradition and  
> innovation in various aspects of post-soviet life.  It will ask  
> whether such a perspective is useful to describe religious change  
> in the West, and will assess how far the lessons of the post-soviet  
> religious experience are important for understanding today’s  
> interfaith and ecumenical issues in our own societies.
>
>
>
> Programme:
>
> WEDNESDAY Jan 31st
>
> 17.00    As Europe grows eastward what can it learn about religious  
> issues from the post-soviet world?
>
> Jonathan Luxmoore, journalist, The Tablet
>
> Alexei Lidov, Director of the Centre for East Christian Culture,  
> Moscow
>
>
>
> 20.30    Women in religion: How to think about Faith and Patriarchy?
>
>                         Dzintra Ilisko, Latvia, European Society of  
> Women in Theological Research
>
>                         Sonja Besford, Serbia, poet
>
>
>
>
>
> THURSDAY Feb 1st
>
> 09.00    The role of religion in policy and human rights: is  
> tradition a problem?
>
>                         Felix Corely, Forum 18 News
>
>                         Saule Mukhametrakhimova, Inst for War and  
> Peace Reporting
>
>
>
> 11.00    Discussion Groups
>
>
>
> 15.00    Revival or Rejection: What happens when religion becomes  
> politicized?
>
>                         Professor Elena Miroshnikova, Religious  
> Studies and Theology, Tula University, Russia
>
>                         Dr Edwin Bacon, Comparative Politics, Birkbeck
>
>                         Professor Malcolom D Evans OBE, Dean,  
> Faculty of Social Science and Law, University of Bristol
>
>
>
> 17.00    Discussion Groups
>
>
>
> 20.30    Religion and the Arts: Has post-soviet art experienced a  
> religious revival?
>
>                         Oleg Kulik, artist, Russia
>
>                         Dr. Razia Sultanova, musician, Uzbekistan,  
> SOAS
>
>                         Followed by musical performance
>
>
>
>
>
> FRIDAY Feb 2nd
>
> 09.00    When do religious identities become dangerous?
>
>                         His Excellency Rafael Ibrahimov, Ambassador  
> for Azerbaijan to the Court of St James’s
>
>                         Ravil Bukharaev, poet, author, BBC world  
> service, Russia
>
>                         Dr. Galina Yemelianova, University of  
> Birmingham, CREES
>
>
>
> 11.00    Religion and Nation: What becomes of tradition in the era  
> of “open societies?”
>
> Dr. Jonathan Sutton, Leeds
>
> Dr. Marat Shterin, KCL
>
>
>
> About the Place:
>
> A visitor to Cumberland Lodge is surrounded by all the trappings of  
> a stately home.  Portraits of former occupants grace its walls –  
> kings, dukes, princesses and lords.  Ancient tapestries hang in oak  
> panelled recesses, looking out across the rolling valleys of crown  
> parkland.  For almost three hundred years Cumberland Lodge was an  
> intimate retreat for Windsor royalty, and occasionally a home for  
> the few courtiers lucky enough to be given the title “Ranger of the  
> Great Park.”  In its early days, King Charles II would frequently  
> travel the four miles between the Lodge and the Castle to pursue  
> amatory affairs with the likes of Nell Gwyn and Barbara Villiers.   
> In the 1700s the first Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, for whom  
> Blenheim palace was erected, chose to transfer much of their family  
> life to the Lodge.  They were followed by others, such as William  
> Duke of Cumberland, for who the Lodge is now named, and King George  
> III who added a touch of neo-gothic architecture.  In the 20th  
> century Cumberland Lodge was the site of secret meetings which led  
> to abdication of the throne by King Edward VIII in 1936.  After  
> WWII ended and the horrors of Nazism became apparent across Europe,  
> a plan was devised whereby the Lodge would be used to discuss the  
> most pressing issues of the day in the hope that forthcoming  
> generations would not make the mistakes of the past.  To fulfil  
> this plan the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Foundation of St.  
> Catharine was created at Cumberland Lodge in 1947.  It continues  
> today to operate under royal warrant as a Christian educational  
> trust and charity, and it is in this spirit that special gatherings  
> are arranged to discuss the social, moral, and ethical issues of  
> our time.  Whilst some of these gatherings are aimed at a  
> particular audience, for example vice-chancellors of universities  
> or police chief constables, others will attempt to engage a more  
> eclectic mix.
>
>
>
> Contact Janis Reeves to register or enquire about the forthcoming  
> residential forum.
>
>
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
> T: 01784 497794
>
> www.cumberlandlodge.ac.uk
>
>
>
> ANNOUCEMENT END
>
>
>
>
>
>


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