Lecture: Mark Juergensmeyer February 21, 2005

Mark Juergensmeyer, director of global and international studies and professor of sociology and religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), will present a speech titled ?From Bhindranwale to Bin Ladin: The Global Rise of Religious Violence? at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24 at Carleton College?s Boliou Hall, Room 104. The event is free and open to the public.

As an expert on religious violence, conflict resolution and South Asian religion and politics, Juergensmeyer has long been a pioneer in his field. He has published more than 200 articles and a dozen books, including his 1993 book, ?New Cold War? Religious Nationalism Confronts the Secular State,? which was named by The New York Times as a notable book of the year. His ground-breaking book, ?Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence,? was written based on his interviews with the world?s violent religious activists, such as those convicted of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the leaders of Hamas and the U.S. abortion clinic bombers. Initially published in 2000, it garnered popularity and multiple acclaims, landing on the Washington Post?s and the Los Angeles Times? lists of best nonfiction books of the year. He also has been the editor and translator of numerous books, such as ?Global Religions? and ?Encyclopedia of Global Religion.?

Juergensmeyer received his B.A. in philosophy with distinction from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, his M.A. from Columbia University?s School of International Affairs, his M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary in New York City and his M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to his positions at UCSB, Juergensmeyer was the chair of the University of California's Pacific Rim Research Program from 1994 to 1997; the dean of Asian and Pacific studies and professor of religion and political science at the University of Hawaii from 1989 to 1993 and coordinator of the religious studies program at the University of California, Berkeley.

A familiar face on network television news and talk shows, Juergensmeyer has appeared on the CNN Evening and International News, ABC News, ABC?s ?Politically Incorrect,? NBC News, CBS Evening News, FOX News, CNBC, The Dennis Miller Show and BBC. He has studied various languages, including Hindi, Panjabi, Urdu, German and Latin and has been awarded countless honors, fellowships and grants. He has been the recipient of fellowships from organizations such as the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, the United States Institute of Peace, the American Council of Learned Societies and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He also has received the 2004 Silver Medal from the Queen Sofia Center for the Study of Conflict in Valencia, Spain.

For more information and disability accommodations, call Jill Tollefson at (507) 646-4232.