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Women, Religion and Social Change II" is an international, interreligious conference to be held at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA from April 30 - May 4, 2003. This meeting will reunite a group of women who came together in 1983 for a groundbreaking interreligious conference on "Women, Religion and Social Change." This group, and their concerns, included the global and the local: participants came from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, North and South America, and Europe. The meeting drew together a diverse group of scholars and grass-roots activists for a week of intensive discussion. The broad working question of the conference was, "What is the relation of religion to the kinds of social change projects and struggles in which women are engaged around the world?" The book Speaking of Faith: Global Perspectives on Women, Religion, and Social Change, edited by Diana Eck and Devaki Jain, was a product of that meeting. Even more, new relationships and networks were formed.
In the past two decades, religion has continued to be a strong social and political force, for better and for worse. The changing demography of the world, through the migration of peoples as immigrants and refugees, has also created new, complex, multireligious societies, including the United States. Today, the dialogue of women across cultures and religious traditions is a local and national issue as well as a global concern. The Pluralism Project at Harvard University has focused on the changing religious landscape of the United States and has convened women's networks and organizations in the American context.
Those who participated in the 1983 conference on "Women, Religion and Social Change" were pioneers. Two decades later, they return as seasoned veterans with a world of insight and experience. In reuniting members of this group, and introducing new participants from the Pluralism Project's "Women's Networks," we hope to cultivate lively discussion and exchange across nations, traditions, and generations. As our global linkages become stronger, we all need to be able to see ourselves in the mirror and vision of each other.
Harvard University
April 30 - May 4, 2003
Hosted by the Pluralism Project at Harvard University