Speakers include former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams; Andrew Copson, Chief Executive, British Humanist Association; Farid Panjwani, Director of the Centre for Research and Evaluation in Muslim Education; Catrin Nye, BBC reporter and documentary maker; Christina Beardsley, an Anglican hospital chaplain; Surat-Shaan Knan, founder of Twilight People; Daniel Zeichner MP; Aaqil Ahmed, BBC Commissioning Editor Religion and Head of Religion and Ethics; and Dr Wendi Momen MBE; and Dr Chris Allen, one of the UK’s leading experts on Islamophobia from the University of Birmingham.
In Rebellious bodies, faithful minds? Religion and gender identity, Christina Beardsley, a transgender Anglican hospital chaplain, and Surat-Shaan Knan will discuss the implications of trans identities for religious faith.
Speaking ahead of the event, Rev Dr Beardsley said: “The ordination of women, first to the priesthood, and just recently as bishops, has been an almighty struggle in the life of the Church of England, and its implications for the institution are not yet clear. Recently, the Church of England’s teaching about marriage has become increasingly gender stereotypical and restrictive. Trans identities can serve to question narrow and limited assumptions about gender expression and roles. For too long, the church has developed its theology about trans people without us.”
Rev Dr Beardsley also said, “Much has been said and written about trans people by theologians and church leaders, but little has been heard from trans Christians themselves.” Her forthcoming book, Trans substantiations: hearing the theology of transgender Christians (to be published by DLT in 2016), aims to redress the balance with its collection of theological reflections of the Sibyls, a major spirituality group for transgender people and their allies. It offers a comprehensive review of existing theological, cultural and scientific literature, together with people’s experience of gender dissonance and looks at how they negotiate the boundaries between their identity and their religious faith.
A further debate, Faith and education: an uneasy partnership asks whether the inclusion of religion in curricula, and the funding or even existence of faith schools, are more likely to foster inter-religious understanding and contribute to an inclusive society, or to encourage division and to undermine the goals of education. This event is Chaired by Catrin Nye and speakers include former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
The Festival will also feature a panel discussion with Aaqil Ahmed, BBC Commissioning Editor Religion and Head of Religion and Ethics, hosted by the Faraday Institute. The power of the media in the science–religion dialogue explores the powerful role of the media in influencing public understanding of the science–religion debate and in the representation of academically credible and reliable information.
Other events with a religious theme include:
Scriptural reasoning workshop, 21 October – an interactive and thought-provoking evening of reading and reflecting on passages from the Muslim, Jewish and Christian scriptures.
Paganism or Christianity: tales of power and resistance in early Britain , Ireland and Scandinavia, 24 October – Why is Wednesday still Woden’s Day? An opportunity to learn about the tug-of-war over religion in early Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic cultures, through sources ranging from miracle stories to rune stones.
In all ways that matter, women count, 26 October – Equality between men and women is a core principle of the Baha’I Faith. Join Dr Wendi Momen MBE for a talk on why full and equal participation of women in all spheres of life is essential to development and peace.
Rapping our way to Islam, 27 October – Rapper Tommy Evans recounts his conversion to Islam as part of a celebration of the Centre for Islamic Studies’ research on Narratives of Conversion.
New atheism in 17th century England? 28 October – Dr David Leech, Lecturer in Philosophy of Religion at the University of Bristol, explores early modern perceptions of atheism by peering through the eyes of the major 17th century Cambridge thinkers known to us today as the Cambridge Platonists.
Religion after the death of God 28 October – The minister of the Unitarian Church, Andrew Brown, and Green Party politician and academic, Professor Rupert Read, introduce an evening conversation on religion without belief, chaired by Professor Stephen Watson.
The power of a good death – This event deals with the role hospices, hospitals and communities of faith play in understanding what constitutes a good death and explores how we can normalise this so that a patient’s wellbeing (including their death) is considered as part of the care provided.
The social imaginary: how the imagination helps form a public consensus 30 October –Andrew Fellows, Director of Christian Heritage, looks from a Christian perspective at some of the recent insights from philosophers as to how imagination plays its part in shaping society.
Islamophobia: new findings, new perspectives 31 October – The Centre of Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge presents a lively discussion on Islamophobia in 21st century Britain. Current research undertaken by the Centre is presented alongside expert opinion and debate from Dr Chris Allen, University of Birmingham, Daniel Zeichner MP, local community leaders and the Cambridgeshire Constabulary.
Image copyright: Rupert Ganzer via Flickr
Established in 2008, Cambridge Festival of Ideas aims to fuel the public’s interest in arts, humanities and social sciences. The events, ranging from talks, debates and film screenings to exhibitions and comedy nights, are held in lecture halls, theatres, museums and galleries around Cambridge. Of the over 250 events at the Festival, most are free.
The Festival sponsors and partners are Cambridge University Press, St John’s College, Anglia Ruskin University, RAND Europe, Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Cambridge Live, University of Cambridge Museums and Botanic Garden, Arts Council England, Cambridge Junction, British Science Association, Heritage Lottery Fund, Heffers, WOW Festival, Southbank Centre, Collusion, TTP Group, Goethe Institut, Index on Censorship and BBC Cambridgeshire.
This year, we are conducting a range of speaker spotlights (Q&A interviews) with a range of high-profile speakers, including Rev Christina Beardsley, Professor David Runciman, Perter Hitchens, and many more. These are uploaded daily: www.festivalofideas.cam.ac.uk/features/speaker-spotlights
Further information can also be found at: www.festivalofideas.cam.ac.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cambridgefestivalofideas
Twitter: @camideasfest #cfi2015
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