ANNOUNCEMENT:
Cumberland Lodge, an charitable 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 (50GBP), clergy (190GBP), academic staff (190GBP) and others (310GBP). 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.
Janis@cumberlandlod ge.ac.uk
T: 01784 497794
www.cumberlandlodge .ac.uk
ANNOUCEMENT END
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