Martha Nussbaum, Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law, Philosophy, Divinity, and the College, will give a talk Tuesday, Oct. 9 as part of the World Beyond the Headlines lecture series, a project of the Center for International Studies. The talk will focus on her book The New Religious Intolerance: Overcoming the Politics of Fear in an Anxious Age, which explores how fears about terrorism in the United States and Europe have spiraled into irrational suspicion of Muslims in the West, and will take place at the International House from 6:30-8 p.m.

From the Center for International Studies' website:

What impulse prompted some newspapers to attribute the murder of 77 Norwegians to Islamic extremists, until it became evident that a right-wing Norwegian terrorist was the perpetrator? Why did Switzerland, a country of four minarets, vote to ban those structures? How did a proposed Muslim cultural center in lower Manhattan ignite a fevered political debate across the United States? In The New Religious Intolerance, Martha C. Nussbaum surveys such developments and identifies the fear behind these reactions. Drawing inspiration from philosophy, history, and literature, she suggests a route past this limiting response and toward a more equitable, imaginative, and free society. Nussbaum challenges us to embrace freedom of religious observance for all, extending to others what we demand for ourselves. With this greater understanding and respect, Nussbaum argues, we can rise above the politics of fear and toward a more open and inclusive future.

More information about The New Religious Intolerance can be found here and here.