Religion and the 2012 Presidential Primaries
Jill Lepore, Harvard University, The New Yorker
Rebecca Traister, Salon, The New York Times
Alan Wolfe, Boston College
Date:听April 12, 2012
Abstract
Religion continues to play a key role in presidential politics this election cycle, as new complexities mix with ongoing tensions between American religions and American political culture. Though听a new poll听shows increasing discomfort with the level of religious language in the current campaigns, the majority of Americans embrace some connection between faith and politics. Join us as the Boisi Center convenes three of the nation's most prominent and insightful political and cultural analysts for a robust discussion about the role of religions in the presidential campaigns thus far.
Speaker Bios
Jill Lepore听is the David Woods Kemper 鈥�41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and a staff writer at听The New Yorker. She is author of many books, including听The Whites of Their Eyes: The Tea Party鈥檚 Revolution and the Battle over American History听(2010);听New York Burning:听 Liberty, Slavery, and Conspiracy in Eighteenth-Century Manhattan听(2005); 补苍诲听The Mansion of Happiness: A History of Life and Death听(forthcoming). A co-founder of the magazine听Common-place, Lepore鈥檚 essays and reviews have also appeared in the听New York Times, the听Times Literary Supplement,听American Scholar, the听Los Angeles Times, the听Washington Post,听The Daily Beast, the听Journal of American History听补苍诲听American Quarterly. Lepore received her B.A. in English from Tufts, an M.A. in history at University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University.
Rebecca Traister听is an author and writer for Salon.com, where she has covered women in politics, media and entertainment since October 2003. Prior to that, she was a reporter at the听New York Observer, where she wrote about the film business. She is author of听Big Girls Don鈥檛 Cry: The Election that Changed Everything for American Women听(2010), which has been selected for the 2012 Ernesta Drinker Ballard Book Prize. She is the recipient of Women's Media Center Award and is a two-time recipient of听the Newswomen's Club of New York Front Page Award. Traister has also written for听Elle,听The Nation,听Vogue,听Glamour,听New York Magazine, the听New York Times, 补苍诲听Nerve. She received a B.A. in American Studies from听 Northwestern University.
Alan Wolfe听is the founding director of the Boisi Center and Professor of Political Science at Boston College. He is author of more than a dozen books, including, most recently,听Political Evil: What It Is and How to Combat It听(2011),听The Future of Liberalism听(2009),听Does American Democracy Still Work?听(2006),听Return to Greatness听(2005),听The Transformation of American Religion: How We actually Practice our Faith听(2003),听Moral Freedom听(2001) 补苍诲听One Nation After All听(1999). Widely considered one of the nation's most prominent public intellectuals, he is a frequent听contributor to the听New听York Times,听Washington Post,听The New听Republic听补苍诲听The Atlantic, and has delivered lectures across the United States 补苍诲听Europe.听
Event Photos
Panelists Rebecca Traister, Salon.com, and Alan Wolfe, Boston College, at Boston College, on April 12, 2012.
Panelists Rebecca Traister, Salon.com, Alan Wolfe, Boston College, and Jill Lepore, Harvard University.
Audience members at Boston College, April 12, 2012.
Panelists L to R: Rebecca Traister, Alan Wolfe, and Jill Lepore
Event Recap
To discuss the hotly contested 2012 Republican presidential primaries, the Boisi Center invited Harvard historian Jill Lepore and writer Rebecca Traister to talk with Alan Wolfe at an April 12 panel. Their wide-ranging conversation pondered the impact of what Lepore called 鈥渢he politics of righteousness,鈥� mused upon the political impact of Mitt Romney鈥檚 Mormonism and Rick Santorum鈥檚 Catholicism, and predicted that the general electon is likely to serve as a national referendum on the principle that government cannot be trusted to act effectively on behalf of its citizens.
Read More
Further Reading
Books and Articles by the Panelists
Lepore, Jill.听听(Princeton University Press, 2010).听Americans have always put the past to political ends. This book tells the story of the centuries-long struggle over the meaning of the nation's founding, including the battle waged by the Tea Party, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, and evangelical Christians to "take back America."
Lepore, Jill.听听(Vintage 1999).听King Philip's War, the excruciating racial war--colonists against Indians--that erupted in New England in 1675, was, in proportion to population, the bloodiest in American history. Some even argued that the massacres and outrages on both sides were too horrific to "deserve the name of a war."
Lepore, Jilll. "," in the听New Yorker, November 30, 2009.
Traister, Rebecca.听听(Free Press 2010).听Traister argues that, although, the 2008 election didn鈥檛 give us our first woman president or vice president, the exhilarating campaign was nonetheless transformative for American women and for the nation.
Traister, Rebecca. ""听The Nation听(Oct. 2010).听Traister discusses why the Democratic party still shuns a public celebration of its female power and why it still appears hesitant to boost its strong female candidates.
Wolfe, Alan.听. New York: The Free Press, 2003. Paperback: Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2005.
Wolfe, Alan.听, co-authored with James Davidson Hunter. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2006.
听
About and By the Candidates
Michele Bachmann
Lizza, Ryan. ","听The New Yorker, August 15, 2011.
Mills, David. "" in听First Things, July 18, 2011.
Newt Gingrich
Henneberger,听Melinda. "?"听The Washington Post, December听23 2011.
Goodstein, Laurie. "" in听The听New York Times, December 17, 2011.
Bruck, Connie. "" in听The New Yorker听, Oct. 5, 1995.
听
Mitt Romney
Romney, Mitt.听." Delivered on December 6, 2007 in College Station, Texas.
" in听The听New York Times, March 25, 2012.
听in听The听New York Times, Feb. 23, 2012.
Renolds, David S.听听inThe听New York Times, Jan. 26, 2012.
Rogers, James R.听" in听First Things, February 15, 2012.
听
Rick Santorum
Santorum, Rick.听听in听Real Clear Religion, March 30, 2012.
Santorum, Rick.听" in听Catholic Online,听Sept. 14, 2010.
听in听The听New York Times, March 23, 2012.
" in听The New York Times, March 26, 2012.
听in听The New York Times, March 26, 2012.
听
Election Resources
.听The publication is a teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics developed by the chairmen of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
In the News
How are Catholic and Mormon presdiential candidates perceived in America today? According to the New York Times,听听(March 23, 2012). Now that Santorum has pulled out of the race, will Evangelicals support Romney?听