“We” & “They”: Cross-cultural Conversations on Identity

Conference dates: ​June 26 to July 3, 2022

In-person or online

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​Conference venue

Call for papers

Deadline was February 7, 2022. 
“Who am I? How do I fit into the world around me? How am I different?” Questions like these are central to the elusive notion of identity—to how we establish and maintain perceptions of “self” and “other,” “we” and “they.”  Identifying ourselves and others in categories defined by gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion, economic status, physical and mental abilities, and other markers stimulate a sense of “we-consciousness.” They influence our choices about who we trust and consider part of our “tribe,” in biological, socio-cultural, and “ultimate” terms. How we perceive and enact our identities influences how we love, create, and discover, and whether we construct systems of oppression and war. 
Through multi-religious and scientific frameworks including biological, psychological, sociological, and anthropological considerations, this conference will explore core concepts of identity.  We invite you to engage in cross-cultural conversations and participate in envisioning a global cultural transformation in which the presence of diversity need not provoke disharmony.
Questions include:
  1. Are there prevailing scientific understandings of self, and if so, what are they?
  2. How do specific world religious traditions understand individual and social identities and otherness?
  3. In our dynamically interconnected global society, how can science and religion help us comprehend the limitations and purposes of identity?
  4. What cultural assumptions and historical, religious, political, and philosophical blind spots inhibit our understanding of our own and others’ identities?
  5. How can we engage in cross cultural conversations that transcend the “allergy to the other,” increase respect and understanding, and contribute to justice and peacemaking?
We look forward to your joining us in the beautiful environs of Star Island for this rich exploration.
Presenters include: 
​Dr. Mustafa Cabir Altinas; Dr. Dylan Belton; Sally Bowden-Schaible, LCPC; Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock; Rev. Dr. Amy Butler; Dr. Paul Carr; John Calvin Chatlos, MD; Dr. Mahjabeen Dhala; Martin Hargrove, Sturgis Music Fellow; Dr. Douglas Hill; Jason Keune, MD; Dr. Eduardo Mendieta; Dr. Michal Meulenberg; Rev. Dr. E. Maynard Moore; Timofej Murašov; Dr. Andrew B. Newberg; Dr. Stephen W. Ragsdale; Donna Roberts, filmmaker; Rabbi David Rosen; Dr. Tinu Ruparell; Dr. Michael Ruse; Lama Losang Samten; Swami Sarvapriyananda; Dr. Marlena Studer; Lili Almási Szabó; Dr. Joe Wiley; Dr. David B. Yaden
Chaplain: 
Rev. Dr. Dorsey O. Blake
Conference Program Chairs:
Anindita N. Balslev, C.J. Love, & Jennifer E. Whitten